Report1 - Kumari Arivial Peravai

KUMARI ARIVIAL PERAVAI
&
Sigma College of Architecture, Moododu
Coastal Environmental Study Tour
(Neerodi to Vattakkottai)
KAP’s Young Scientists Program 2013-‘14
28/12/2013, 29/12/2013
Reports
1,V.Steffy,
2.S. Varsha,
3.G.Jeshwini,
4.V.Jeyavarshini
5.Dawnlyn Lal,
1,V.Steffy,
Red team.
“The sun is new each day”.
– Heraclitus
Day 1:
I was very excited, that day. I
was going to visit all the coastal areas
of Kanyakumari (Arabian Sea side). My
excitement knew no bounds. After
getting blessings from my grandma, I
reached near Thasaiah Mandapam,
Marthandam. The SIGMA college bus
came there to pick us at 6:50 am.
Then we reached SIGMA college of Architecture at 7:30 am and were
served with breakfast.
It was the time for Green team. First, the tree planting ceremony
was held at 8:00 am. Yellow and Red team together planted a sapling.
Then Blue team, green team and at last Maroon team planted their
saplings. Then we went to the conference hall. The inaugural meeting
started.
Achsah, Green team leader, compeered the meeting. The
dignitaries were called to the dias. They were Mr.Velaian, KAP
organizer, Cap.Bennet Singh, Mr.P.P.K. Sindhu Kumar, Chief Guest,
Mr.Pasalyan, the Director of SIGMA College. First, the Tamil Thai
Vazhthu was played. Achsah said that nature is a gift of God. Then
Fathima Haashima of Green team gave the welcome address. Velaian sir
gave the inaugural address. First, he greeted all. He said that, last year
young scientist’s award ceremony was held here. He insisted on the
saying:
“Punctuality makes one perfect”.
The guests who are called here should be punctual and should
always have a smiling face. It is obvious in Mr.P.P.K.Sindhu Kumar’s face.
There was a drama ‘Veerathirumahan’ held in a temple in Mullanchery
and Velaian sir, Sajeev sir etc, were also actors in it. It was started by
Sindhu Kumar sir. We are going to visit nearly forty-four Coastal areas.
There, we have to research on the water, land and fish resources. To
make awareness among the people, each team has brought 500 notices
each. Our guides and co-ordinators are there to support us. We are
going to stay in Mangarai Analagam in a training centre. Everything like
bus facility was SIGMA’s arrangement. He ended up by saying that let
the trip be a successful one.
Then Capt..Bennet Singh started his speech. He said that the
world is moving fast and technology is being shared. Today, no one is
treated lower than someone and higher than someone. Olden days, it
was easy to become a scientist. But, now without proper evidence there
is no escape. So, what we should do today is thesis submission. India has
a coastline of about 7570 Km. Many natural resources are present
there. This part will allow India to grow. But, that part is not being
used. So, we should change it. When we go there, we should ask the
local people what benefits do they get there and what problems do they
meet with. Each year, KAP visits these areas. Each year, Velaian sir will
note the student’s observation. The main purpose of this trip is to
educate and interact. Overall, it is to make a change. Along with
awareness, we should give security awareness too. We should collect
maximum data. We should say own view bravely. But it must be genuine.
The place, Chotthavilai is not safe as there may be threat from public
and there would be no rescue centres. Hence, it is not suitable for a
beach. Like this, we should write the benefits and problems. This day
will bring a change in our lives. It is transform us to a new stage. We
should always record things and write in a document. It is more
important.
Our ancestors were great. They
documented the eternal truths. That is
how, we know about them today. We
should also follow them. Now the world moves fast only due to globalism.
Our findings must be within the scope. We should cope up with our coordinators. We shouldn’t hide anything from them, but tell all openly.
We should be a role model for all.
Then Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar spoke. He greeted all. He started his
speech with a Tamil song which means that, the country believes in
children like us. We are going to create tomorrow’s history. Thiruvlluvar
has also said about education. So, education is much essential for all.
Then he asked us a question, who brought up the mid-day meal system?
Most of us answered, but Ashvitha from Yellow team stood up and
answered. The answer was Kamarajar. To our surprise, she was awarded
with a cash prize. He said that we are selected to be young scientists,
because, this is the age in which we develop a questioning mind. We
develop a questions like why, how, what in our mind. Vivekananda lost his
father. This made him the devotee of Ramakrishna Paramahamsar. He
again asked a question, name the scientist on whose head apple fell
down? Most of us knew the answer. But Dhanu of Red team stood up
first and he was awarded with cash prize. The answer was Isaac
Newton. He again asked us a question, who found a principle when he
kept his leg in a bucket of water? I answered and was awarded with
cash prize. The answer was ‘Archimedes’. He also informed that, from
Nerodi to Vattakottai, we are going to see 44 coastal areas. The
morning will be very cool. We will see waves, aquatic animals and shells.
We should do research on that. Now, there is brain drain in India. They
are not wise. But, we should do research in our country and become
great scientist.
Then the notices were released by Maroon, red, yellow, blue and
green teams and distributed to all of them. Abarna of green team said
the vote of thanks. The meeting ended up at 9:30am.
Then we got into the SIGMA college bus and travelled towards
Nerodi. On the way, we saw places like Kaliyakkavilai, Annikarai, and
Siruvarakkonam etc. Cap. Bennet Singh said us the history of Kalikesam,
that is, once there was a robber who was not afraid of anyone. One day,
a person challenged him to go and disturb the Kali temple to show, that
he so great. First time he went, disturbed and returned by saying, I
have proved that I’m great. The person said, today Kali had gone for
rounds. So, she didn’t see you. Go and disturb the Kali temple tomorrow,
he said. When he disturbed, Kali came and stood back of him. She asked
‘Agathil Yaranu’. The robber asked ‘Purathil Yaranu”. Kali replied, ‘I’m
Kali’. The robber got frightened that Kali would kill him. He said, ‘I’m
Kali’s disciple’. So, Kali couldn’t do him anything. At last, he indeed
became Kali’s disciple. This is the history of Kalikesam.
He told us that, the first ‘Tamil Sangam’ was held in a place south
of Indian Peninsula. It was then covered by sea. The next Sangam was
also held in a place which was later covered by sea. The third changam
was in Madurai. Thus Tamil is the oldest language in the world. Then we
saw a part of AVM channel which is famous for boating. AVM stands for
Ananda Victoria Memorial canal.
We reached Nerodi by 10:30 am. We got assembled in St.Nicolas
Hr.Sec.School, Nerodi. Achsah compeered the program. First Velaian
sir said about young scientists to the school students, that is, we are
from twenty eight different schools and are eighth standard students.
He invited Mrs. Stella, the AHM of the school, Benzigar Rajan sir and
Cap.Bennet Singh, who has a good knowledge about sea.
Then Benzigar Rajan sir gave a speech. He explained that: the
longest coastline in the world is for Canada. It is of about two lakh
kilometre. India’s coastline is about 7,100 km. It extends from the
Sunder ban’s coastline is about 68 km. About one lakh thirty thousand
people live here. 26% of costal people live here. So, we have to meet the
problem, overpopulation now more people live here because, there are
more rivers, estuaries and salt water here. It is the meet of three seas.
The Arabian sea, the Indian ocean and the Bay of Bengal Nerodi is a
fishermen village located between the AVM channel and the Arabian.
There are 375 varieties of Surai fish in Kanyakumari, especially in
Thuthur and Puvaar. There are 30 varieties of Surai fish in Nerodi. The
fishermen here are good in catching fish even in deep sea. They live in
sea from 3-6 days. There are more shark fish too.
Convenor Franco was there with us. We asked our doubts to him.
He said that the problems they face are mainly no good toilet facility.
Anisha of Maroon team asked what the major problem people face
here is. He answered that: there is no harbour, all resources are being
taken, government has not taken any steps still and there is water
pollution. Then I asked, due to overpopulation diseases and epidemics
can become common. If so, what diseases are affecting the people here
and has government taken any measures for it. He said that the main
diseases caused are cholera, chicken guinea, etc. They are caused due
to stagnant rain water. The diseases are not being diagnosed and no
measures are being taken for it. Next, Varsha of Maroon team asked
when the fishermen are not allowed to enter the sea what do they do.
He answered that: there are no alternatives, but government should
give them something. Then Lakshmi of yellow team asked, how the
education is given here. He answered that needed education is given.
But there will be no appointment and jobs.
When we were asked about the deep sea facilities, he said that
there are no facilities in deep sea. There is no communication facility
there. Then, Blessy of Maroon team asked, why there are more coconut
trees here. He told that, it is because of the salty water and the fish
resources present there. Followed by that, Ashwin Niranjan of Maroon
team asked in olden days, they were more fish resources here but why
they have reduced now. It is because; people caught more fish large
ships, so the eggs were also taken. This didn’t allow the fish to grow.
Then Dhanu of red team asked a question that, when a fisherman goes
for fishing and gets hurted, what medicine does he get. He answered
that first aid will be given. Followed by that Ashvitha of yellow team
asked the population. He said us 2000 families within 1 km. At last Tino
from maroon team asked, do they get waste while fishing. He said yes,
once when they caught fish in Dhanushkodi, 50% was fish while 20% was
waste.
Then the school students asked questions (doubt) to us. First, a
boy came forward and asked what the aim of this coastal trip is. I,
Lakshmi and Varsha answered, to do research and give awareness. Then
they asked what is the use for them from our trip. Anisha and Ashwin
Niranjan said that, we will distribute notice and when you follow them it
would be certainly useful to you. Next a girl asked, is it true that the
sea and fish resources will decrease in ten years. We answered that
only fish resources will decrease but sea level will increase and one part
of Nerodi may also got into the sea. Cap.Bennet Singh said that in
seventeen years the population increases. Even fish resources will
increase.
Then Achsah of green team said feedback. Mr. John Robi Kumar,
team co-ordinator of maroon team said that we will do research, write
it as report, put it in the net and finally make a book. Next Father
Rudolf gave a speech. In olden days, people went fishing only for one
day. But now it extends for one week, two weeks, one month etc.
“No sweet without sweat”.
Thuthoor people tell that they are one and a half months in the
sea for catching fish. They are not allowed to catch fish for forty-five
days. We think that fishermen’s behaviour is rude and different. No one
can be there in a room for one month. But, fishermen survive without
anything for many days. It is a very risky job. If there are seven people
in a boat, they may talk about the history of their families just for time
passing. But if the same seven travel for seven years, how much stories
can they speak? They get bored. Thus, there will be a drastic change in
the behaviour. So, we cannot understand them properly. One fourth of
the earth is land. There is more dry land here and more land to be
developed, he said.
Then John Robi Kumar Sir thanked all. We walked to the
shore and saw the see by ll.30 A.M. We saw a fisherman, Antony and
asked his some questions.
1. What kind of fish do you get?
Nei fish, Kanava fish, Keeri fish, Kaarai fish etc.
2. When they go for fishing, does any natural happening
affect you?
If rain comes, we get affected.
3. What is your wage?
Our wage per day is approximately Rs.25 to Rs.100.
Our owners wage is Rs.10, 000.
4. How is education?
Education is compulsory till 10th or 12th.
5. What kind of net do you use?
We use many types of nets. The length we use is up to 50
km.
We use small nets so that we can catch small and large
fishes.
6. Does Government provide anything for your identity?
Yes, the Government provides an ID card for each
fisherman.
7. When do you get more fish?
We get more fish during monsoon season.
Then we departed from him and met another fisherman Antony.
He told us that they usually get kaarapodi fish. They get more Crab in
the month of January. Then we saw a boy, Shabu running towards us.
When he came near us, he opened his hands and we saw Crab in his
hands. We were surprised by seeing it. Then we travelled to Vallavilai
and reached by 11.50A.M. On the way, we crossed Marthandanthurai.
There we interviewed two fishermen’s wives, Esebella and Mariakori.
1. What fishes do you get?
We get Klathi fish, Netholi Fish, Chaalai Fish, Churai
Fish etc.,
2. What is your role here?
Our husbands catch fish and come.
We go to nearer villages like Nithravilai and
Cheruvarakonam and sell them.
3. How much do you earn a day?
We earn from Rs.50 to Rs.100.
4. If the fisherman stay in sea for one month how will
they eat?
They take food for one month along with them.
5. What diseases may affect them?
They may get affected with heart diseases and
Jaundice.
6. If the fish don’t sell for days, what will you do them?
We will put ice and salt on the fish.
7. When the fishermen are not allowed to catch fish for
45 days, what do they do?
They go to other areas to sell fish.
Then we saw a person selling Klathi Fish and another person selling
the fish Chemmudukattai. Then we were told that 8 fish cost Rs.900.
When we asked about machine boat, we understood that there would be
fuel loss. Then we travelled again and reached another area in Vallavilai
by 12.15 P.M. There we saw a flower, Cyrobia Melanesia. We saw the sea
too. Then, there was an ice plantation area opposite of it. We entered
into it. Mr. Antony of St.Jude’s School was there with us to guide us. As
we walked there, we met a worker Mr.Mujeeb. He showed a fish called
Seaeff and another one called White Squid. Then we met another
worker, Mr.Kleetus. He told us that there is a fish called Thaalai which
is of 15kg and is Rs.106. We saw Sila Fish and Moral Fish and Ice were
put up on it. Then many students said their feedback.
Then we travelled from 01.10P.M. We crossed Kollencode. We saw
the place where Kollencode Thuukkam would be conducted. Next, we
reached Nithiravilai near Krathoor by 01.30 P.M. It was the time for
Maroon team. There, Patriotic Sports Club (PSC) welcomed us. We were
indeed happy. Ashwin Niranjan of Maroon team compeered the
programme. Then Blessy gave the welcome address. The eminent
personalities welcomed were Mr.Yogithan, President of PSC, Mr. Rajesh,
Secretary of PSC and Mr. Robert Kumar.
Next Velaian Sir greeted all. He told that: The patriotic sports
club started when all the members were very young. They always invite
in a grand manner. Today Mr. Robert Kumar is there with us to speak on
“Praise Guidance”. We too have guides for each teams, he said.
“Today’s youngster is Today’s Leader”. Yes, the youngster Robert
Kumar sir delivered his speech on “Praise Guidance”. His speech was
that: by getting guidance, we get changes.
1. In home :
 We should obey our parents. Only such children become
great people.
 Elders are experienced. Their guidance is also needed.
 We should obey the good words of our relatives including our
grandparents.
2. In Road :
 Traffic police shows signs of left, right, stop etc., we should
follow them. If we don’t do it, accidents can happen.
 We should follow the road laws otherwise, we can’t achieve
our goals.
3. In Water and Sky :
 Light house is used to show where the shore is. We should
follow it.
 In air crafts, there will be radar (Map) to show us
directions. We should travel in that direction or damage will
happen.
4. In School :
 When teachers say us to sit or stand, we should do it
otherwise it means that there is no proper understanding
there.
Once a boy went to a shop to buy a tenth standard guide book. The
shopkeeper said that only fifth standard guide book was there. So, the
boy asked two fifth standard guide books, as 5+5 is 10. Hence, we
shouldn’t be foolish like the boy. Even Velaian sir is a guide; he is not a
path guide, but a life guide. The youth are very directive. One day,
there was a directive board fallen near the road. It showed the
direction for Kanyakumari and Trivandrum. A youth saw it and plated it
correctly. People too saw it and travelled. But at least, those who had to
go to Kanyakumari reached Trivandrum and vice versa. When the youth
planted it, he had changed the position. So, when we show directions
(guide) we should show the right way.
He asked to solve a maths problem and said that its directive is
that we should always plan and do anything. There was a national
children conference from 27th December to 31 st December and four
students Kevin, Meena, Nandhini and Vijay did a project. Their guide is
Mr.Kanagaraj. They are from Erode. Kevin is the team captain. He lost
his mother. His father left him. So, he worked in a workshop. There was
a club near it, like PSC and they made him to learn. Now, they have got
prize in National level now. Their title is “Anti-child marriage”. They did
research in their topic. So, we should also do research like them. We
must get guidance and give guidance to another fifty people. He ended
his speech by saying, there are good and bad directions. We should take
only the best principles.
Next, Benzigar Rajan sir gave his speech on the environment of
Kanyakumari. He said that: our environment is of 1889 square km. There
are plants like Kurinji, Mullai, and Neidhal etc. Forests are of 30%. But
now they are reduced to 19%. The main reason is that there is
overpopulation in hilly regions. Forests undergo fragmentation and get
destroyed. In mountains, forests grow well. We get minerals and plant
coconut trees, Oodai tree, etc. But, we mine it and destroy it.
Kanyakumari is the only district that gets rain from monsoon winds,
that is North-East and South-West monsoon winds. The rivers flowing
here are Palayaru, Valliyaru, Thamirabarani, etc. But, we dump waste in
them. First there was 30cm of rain but now there is just 21cm of rain
per year. Once upon a time paddy grew for 50,000 hectare. But, now it
is for only 26,000 hectares. There are 60 types of paddy in
Kanyakumari. Now many types are missing. Crops are grown for 17,000
hectares. Now, rubber tree has increased in number but it has no
benefits. It only supports cash. It doesn’t support bio-diversity.
Butterflies are not found now. So, youngsters should make youth clubs
and save nature. Then Mr. Rajesh from PSC gave the vote of thanks.
He said that the aim of KAP is to do research and come great. Then,
behalf of KAP, Praison Lino gave the vote of thanks and the program
ended up by 2:20 pm. They provided us with lunch and we departed from
there by 3:00 pm.
“The temple is a place where God dwells”.
We reached Parthasarathi temple in Parthivaburam by 3:30 pm.
We removed our shoes and entered the temple. Kavinyar Thankaraasu
was with us. He has written more grammar books. Books by him include
Kungumam, Barathi, Pasarai, Painthamil Kumari, etc. Velaian sir and
Thangarasu sir published a magazine, ‘Nilamutram’.
He gave a speech. He said: This place is ‘Parthivapuram’.
Parthivam means ‘King’. First Cheras owned this place. Their emblem was
‘bow’ (vil). So, the Cherans was also called Villavan. Thus, Villavancode
became Vizhavancode. In the generation Ayyee, from the family of
Ayywale was Karunanthadahan. Aayyee was a generous person. Kurunila
kings were called Vaelir or simply Vael. Vael + Nadu
VaeNadu. It’s
Northern border is Varkalai and its southern border is Thukalay. But,
its border was not permanent.
The king of Vaenadu – Karnanthadahan became king in AD 857. He
built this temple where we are sitting now in AD 860. The name of this
place is Uzhakudivilai which later became Parthibasekharapuram which
shortened to be Parthibapuram. Then Edwin Sam sir asked why did he
build this temple here? Thangarasu sir answered that there is a channel
flowing in this area which may cause floods but, in the place where the
temple is built, the water can’t flow that is why he built it here. Its
capital is Vizhinyam in Kerala. It will also change frequently.
This temple’s name is Parthasarathi. Paarthan means Arjuna.
Parthasarathi means Arjuna’s driver, that is, Kannan. It was named so
because their God was Kannan. In the Cholas, there was a genius named
Paranthahacholan came to attack Karunanthadahan. As he got
frightened or was defeated, he flew away to Kalakuttam near
Thiruvananthapuram. He built a small palace and stayed there. He took
care of three temples, that is, Athikesavaperumal temple in
Thiruvattar, Pathmanabaswamy temple in Trivandrum and this temple.
Illango wrote silappathigaram his brother was Cheran Chengutuvan
who was great warrior. One day he went to mountain. Some tribes said
him that a lady came here she was just like Dhurga. Actually that was
Kannahi. Then he got a message from south India that a girl came there.
Her dance was like ghost dance. Her song was like whining. Then Cheran
Chengutuvan said to build a temple for Kannahi for building it he bought
some stones from other parts of India. Then he came to South India
and fought with Kanahan and Vijayan. He caught them and put stone on
their head and killed them. Then he built a temple for Kannahi.
Thangarasu sir, (a retired teacher an and a Tamil poet), said that
we should be proud of ourselves that we are a relative of the great
warrior Cheran Chengutuvan, that is, we are from his generation. Then
Varsha of Maroon team gave feedback. We had a short tea break and
those who are willing to have a look on the temple can enter inside it,
Velaian sir said. The statues of Gods present were Waragamoorthi,
Wadakamperumal, Karagandeswarar,
Parthasarathi,
Mahadaever,
Ambaadi Krishnan, Thakshanamoorthy, Ayyapan and Naagarkumbam. We
left that place by 4:50 pm.
Then we reached Thaengappatnam.Kuzhithurai river. There, Benzigar
Rajan sir was there to explain us about the place. He said that: the
place we are now is Thaengappatnam. It is called so because there are
many coconut (thaengai) trees here. The river is called Kuzhithurai
River. It originates from Muthukuzhivayal, travels 68 km and mixes in
the water. In the word Thaengappatnam, the Arabian meaning of
Patnam is city. Six hundred years ago Muslims traded here. They bought
dates, perfumes, etc.
“Estuaries are coastal bays, harbours, sounds and lagoons, places
where rivers meet the sea”.
The biggest estuary in Kanyakumari is here. One side of it is
Iraimanthurai and another side of it is Thaengappatnam. There is more
sea erosion here. To avoid this, we should keep wave breaker.
This is the biggest river in Kanyakumari. It is entirely different
from how it was before two years. Then we saw the area where the
ponds and rivers meet. We went to the seashore and also saw a puffer
fish on the shore. Then we entered into bus, travelled and reached
Inayanputhanthurai by 5:40 pm. Benzigar Rajan sir said that this
continuation of the estuary we saw in Kuzhithurai River. There are more
rocks here. We felt that this place was untidy and not clean. It was
fully polluted by plastics. It is a punishable offence. On the way back to
the bus, we met the villager, Mrs.Poruneen Ammal. She said that
drainage system is maintained properly. They spent Rs.5000 and made
facilities for that. But, in the next day water drived it away. Many
people are dumping wastes here.
Then we travelled and reached Mr. John Breto’s residence by 6:15
pm. Then many students gave feedback about what we saw in
Kuzhithurai River and Inayanputhanthurai beach. Then Mr. John Breto
said that the AVM channel has disappeared after Thaenkaappatnam and
it will again appear from Colachal only. Then Velaian sir said that after
we go to Palloor, each team should prepare a drama. He gave topics to
the dramas. My team’s topic was ‘happy home’. Then Lakshmi of yellow
team asked, why the water in Inayanputhanthurai is polluted. Then Mr.
John Breto said that this is because there are no other places to dump
the waste. Even if they keep the dustbins, there is no one to dispose it.
Then Anisha of Maroon team asked how much fish you get here. He
answered that they don’t get more fish from shore side. Where there
are more rocks, reproduction is undergone easily. Now, there are no
more rocks here. So, they use another method GPS. Here, mostly they
get the fish, Kanava. They get affected when they spent more but get
very less amount of fish. When we asked the population he said that
there are about 5200 people here. To catch the fish prawn, nylon net is
used.
We get many fishes including Vazhai,Vaezha, Kozhuvai, Netholi,
Vatha, Paarrah, Vave,Pilimeen, Imbalam, Mural, Chambu, Kannadi fish,
Kurumeen, Navarai, Manangu, Kalavai, Surai, Keerimeen, Therachi,
Nemmen, Modhai, Chemmeen, Kanava, Ialai, Kara, Nandu, Chippi fish.
Pavalaparai is found very less here. Then I gave the feedback and vote
of thanks. Velaian sir said that a sister Rose Marry. Then they served
us with snacks and tea. Next we travelled and reached Palloor. We were
going to stay there that night in a training centre. It was Edwin Gladson
sir’s arrangement. We had our dinner there. Then we planned our drama
for ten minutes. Then we came to a hall and many students gave
feedback. Velaian sir greeted Rev. Father. Jose Robinson. Then our
team (red) did our drama on ‘Happy Home’.
Next Father Jose Robinson gave his speech. He told that: we are
undergoing a historical trip from Nerodi to Vattakotai. This Analagam is
in Thannir Pandhal Vilai. Before the Lemoria continent destroyed, it was
a forest. The branches of Paraliyaru and Kodaiyar flowed here. When
this area was excavated, a boat and ambalam was found here. It was
proved that there was a river here. It shrinked and became a channel
that we see today. It doesn’t become dry. Two years back, a flood
destroyed the place. It was a memorable one, he said.
When talking about science, he said, “Science is the true religion”.
He also mentioned that we started our research with social care in our
minds. He appreciated the drama which our team had performed and
said that, it shows how deep science is. He told that, never separate
science from values. We are marching for values and not for respect, he
ended.
Then Anisha and Achsah said a feedback on his speech. Followed
by that, maroon team performed a drama on ‘relations’. It was about the
relationship between friends, sisters, father, mother and child. Next,
yellow team did a drama on ‘elders’. It gave us a clear message of
respecting our grandparents. Then blue team performed drama on
‘quarrel home’. It showed us that watching serials are not good. The last
performance was by green team on ‘school’. It was a humorous drama.
Then five students (one from each team) said feedback on the dramas.
Next, father Jose Robinson appreciated the students who told
everything in a nutshell.
Then Mr.Samraj gave a short speech. He quoted that, “shape
yourself for others”. He told that, Velaian sir does this job. He is like a
person born in Nakiran’s family. Mr.Samraj said that he was there only
because of Kamarajar. He specified the themes of two dramas and said
that they are important. We have to spread the education that we get.
He ended his speech by saying that we should do something for the
society. Velaian Sir appreciated Rujan of Yellow team and Krishnaveni of
Blue team for their act. He thanked all. Then we return to our room and
had a good sleep.
Day: 2
“An undisturbed coastal plain is home to a wide variety of plants
and animals and is the only wilderness sanctuary”.
We got up early morning. It was the time for our team (Red). “A
sound mind is a sound body”. First, we did Yoga with the guidance of
Sathish Kumar Sir. Then all of us had a tea and I gave the vote of
thanks and we departed. Then we travelled in the bus and reached
Kodimunai by 07.10 A.M. There we went to St.Michael Hr.Sec.School,
Kodimunai. Mr. Michael Raj was there with us to speak about Kodimunai.
The School HM, Mrs. Mary Nimelda was also present there. I
compeered the program. The speech of Mr. Michael Raj was that:
Tsunami had come here once. This place is like a wedge bank. Here
there is no wall to protect the land from sea. So they get destroyed. No
one respect our fisherman. Three to four months ago, when some
fishermen went to a meeting to tell their problems, the police didn’t
allow them and beat them. There was no way to speech. Only the inland
people spoke. Before ten years, there was none of them in Kodimunai
affected by cancer. But now, above fifty people are affected with
cancer.
It is not due to the sand, but when the minerals are taken from
the sand, the radiation produced, cause cancer. The population of the
area is about 1400 families. Then we asked some questions to him.
1. Blessy of Maroon team asked – What sort of fish do you get?
He answered, in June and July we get Kanava and Prawn.
2. Shajan of Yellow team asked – Whether there was any destruction of
houses due to Tsunami?
He answered, nearly 50 houses destroyed due to Tsunami.
3. I asked – When there was cancer, did Government take measures?
He said, the Government didn’t give any reply. We want help from them.
4. Achsah of Green team asked – This is elevated place. So what will be
the climate?
There will be no change in the climate.
5. Ashwin Niranjan of Maroon team asked – Are the foreigners allowed
to travel in Sea in the Kodimunai?
He answered; the Central Government had amended a new law on this
matter. It is divided in to two divisions. This law was established in the
period of the former prime minister of India, Mr.Narasimha Rao.
6. Varsha of Maroon team asked – what are the major problems in
fishing?
If the fishermen get lost too, it can’t be known since there is no
communication facility. In Chinnamuttam harbour, a boat is tied there
but not put to use. This makes the fishermen unhappy. He also told
that, one of his relatives got lost in the sea for 56 days. He cut the
tortoise, drank its blood and lived. He also drank urine and lived. Some
fishermen are being captured by the Sri Lankans too. These are some
of the major problems that the fishermen meet with.
7. Jeshiba of green team asked – about the water flow.
He answered that according to the phases of the moon, the water flow
may change. Nowadays GPS system is used to find the direction of
water flow.
8. When a fisherman gets lost, does he land up in a new village?
Once a fisherman went fishing and did not return. This had happened
two years ago. They searched him in most of the villages. But they
couldn’t find him still. So, we can’t tell it exactly.
9. The fish prawn lays more eggs. How will you catch them?
They catch it with the help of drawl nets.
10. Lakshmi of yellow team asked – Does this place attract the tourists?
Here there are no tourists but there are some tourists in Colachal.
The different types of fishes got in different months are:
December- Clathy fish
January – Netholi fish
May, June – vaazhai fish
Then Shanu of red team gave feedback. Then we were served with
breakfast. Varsha of maroon team gave the vote of thanks. Then the
school PT sir Mr.Ashwin led us to the seashore. We walked on a rocky
path. We indeed enjoyed it.
Then we sat on a big rock and Benzigar Rajan sir gave his speech.
He told that: hereafter, the areas we will visit will be rocky. Here there
are fish like Chippi, Kanava, Vaazhai and Crab. The reason for fishing in
this area is because of the Pambar River. Here the fishes are very
small. There are many varieties of Chaazhai fish here. This is Pambar
Channel estuary. In Kanyakumari there are 10,000 hectares of
estuaries. There are 20 wodge banks too. The speciality of this place is
in the rock we sit. The shape of small feets in this rock is believed that
they are Jesus Christ’s foots. Then we left the place by 9:30 am,
travelled and reached Colachal by 9:35 am.
Here there is artificial harbour too. In 1751, Marthandavarma won
the Dutch with the help Ananthapathma Nadar. The battle was fought
here. There is more fishing potential here due to Pambar estuary. Once
Tsunami destroyed this place. There is an old lighthouse here. There
are small fishes here. Then we met the Colachal municipal commissioner
Er. Suresh. He started his speech with a Thirukkural that shows the
importance of water. He told that: the waste from the village get mixed
in the sea. Hence, the natural resources get affected. Kaina aerator
purifies Oxygen in water. They have invented a new way to keep their
place clean. Kalvaalai is a plant that takes Carbon dioxide and leaves
Oxygen from the root. Here the conventional method is used, that is,
taking Oxygen from water artificially, using electricity. They were
appreciated by Mrs.Mathumathi, the district collector for this
innovation. One megawatt needs 6Kg CO2. They produce 30 kilowatts.
Then he showed the photos of Kalvaalai.
We left the place by 10.05 A.M. On the way we saw Tsunami
memorial building and war memorial building. It was built for the victory
of Travancore over Dutch in 1741 A.D. We saw AVM channel, Thottil
padu, Mandaikadu and a part of Valliyaru. Then we reached
Kadiappatnam by 10.20 A.M. We went to the sea shore. The sand was
bright and shiny. Benzigar Rajan sir explained about the place. He told
that: This soil is rich in minerals. The river mouth of Valliyaru is here.
Valliyaru originates from Veli Mountain. Two rivers, Thuvalaru and
Valliyaru join and flow here. This river goes in low land and comes in low
land. It fills a river called Periakulam. It irrigates land of about 144
hectares.
Kadiapatnam has world’s rare minerals. The heavy minerals
present in the sand are iluminite, siluminite. They are black in colour.
The chemical formula of siluminite is Titanic oxide. Iluminite is one
third, the weight of steel, but stronger than it. The titanium that we
use today is composed mainly of illuminate, siluminite and root oil. Root
oil (red colour) is used in making of cosmetics. Another mineral present
in the sand is zircan (yellow colour). It has a very high temperature. It
is used to avoid melting or to with stand. Its melting point is 3000 °
Celsius. The next one is Monazite (reddish brown colour). It is the
shining component in sand. It is also found in Thorium. Uranium is also
found Thorium. It can blast an atom bomb. About 3000 tonne of
Monazite is used in Bombay Tharabore nuclear reactor. Here there is
Valliyaru estuary, he said. Then we left the place by 10:45 am. We
reached Muttam by 10:55 am.
“A tourist place is a relaxing house”.
Muttam is a tourist place. Unlike other places, there are rocks in
both land as well as water. There is a rock here called AaduMeichaam
rock. The speciality is, there is no water flow in wodge bank. The food
for fish comes from Valliyaru. The estuaries of Valliyaru are in
Kadiyappatnam and Muttam. So, there will be more fish, like Chippi,
crab, prawn, etc. Like in Colachal, there are many varieties of fish here
too. The nutrition from other rivers comes here. Here, all fish would be
calm. There is red soil here and the population is around 8000 people.
We left the place by 11:10 am. Then we reached Rajakamangalam by
11:40 am. I compeered the program. The dignitaries present were
Rev.Clatton and Mr. G.Albin, who arranged the place. Apart from them,
there were more villagers too. This made us feel happier. First, Velaian
sir said about the young scientists program, that is, we come from 28
schools. We have undergone competitions like model demonstration,
project presentation, etc. We are selected and are to be trained for six
months. In this coastal trip, we will do research.
Then Rev. Clatton gave a short speech. He appreciated us. He told
us that, this will surely create awareness. He was happy with our social
service. Then I said the vote of thanks. I was also appreciated for that
talk. Then Ethazl of red team and Rujan of yellow team said the
feedbacks. The meeting ended up by 12:05 pm. We travelled and we
reached Chotthavilai by 12:55 pm. We assembled in a temple on behalf
of red team; I welcomed Mr. Raguvaran, ISRO and his family who were
there to serve us with lunch. Then we were served with lunch. The
whole family, themselves had prepared it. We were really surprised. We
assembled again by 1:30 pm. It was time for blue team gave the
welcome address and Dharshini compeered the program.
Next, Mangavilai Rajendran sir gave his speech. He said us about
Chotthavilai. His speech was that, here there are no walls to protect
from water. Now, all the seas that we saw in this coastal trip lie in the
Arabian Sea. We call it Arabian Sea because, it is near Arabia. Even
Indian Ocean was named in the same way. Bay of Bengal is called so
because, it lies near west Bengal. Indonesia is having the most number
of islands. The biggest seashore in the world is Leodegenero beach. The
second biggest seashore in the world is Marina beach.
Why is the sand in this seashore white (silicon)? This is because,
here there are no walls. So, water enters easily and shakes the water
like a mother cradles a child. But in Alaivaikarai, the sand is another
colour. This is because; there will be more minerals there. The sand is
less heavy. Here, there were sand dunes of about 30cm. It protected
the land. There would be stones under it. Due to that pressure, they
were called as sandstone. They were just like a barrier wall. But the
people took all the sand they got used up. So, when Tsunami came in
December 24, 2004 it entered the land. Adamba plant was once planted
there. It prevented the water from sea, from entering the land and
taking the sand away. This place where we sit is Neidhal Nilam. Thaalai
and Punnai were the main plants, grown here. A Banyan tree has no tap
root. It grows up. Likewise, Thaalai has supporting roots. Here, from
shoot, the root pierces down and goes into the ground. It is very strong
that, even elephant can’t break it.
The oil extracted from Punnai tree is used to light in temples. But,
the Punnai grown here is different from it. If sea water comes with a
speed of, 800km too, Thaalai and Punnai won’t fall. But, we have
destroyed them. There were worms like valanoglassis that burrowed in
the ground and lived. There were round crabs. There were Hippas with
front horn. With that horn, it burrowed in grounds. There were more
varieties of crabs. Olden days, if we see the place where we were
sitting, they would be full of crabs. There were chippi fish. But, now, all
have disappeared. Tortoise is a scavenger for sea. It comes to the
seashore for reproduction.
Once, when he went to this seashore, when he was young, he found
many eggs of tortoise in seashore. He collected them and ate them too.
The water from mountains flow here and fountains come up. He ended
his speech by saying, that ‘sea soil saves wate r’. Then Krishnaveni gave
feedback. On behalf of maroon team, Varsha thanked all. On behalf of
green team, Achsah thanked all. Next, Ethazl of red team thanked all.
At last, Lakshmi of yellow team told the vote of thanks. Then Miss.
Aishwarya, the daughter of Raguvaran sir gave a short motivational talk.
She appreciated us that we are doing well and she said us to do
everything whole-heartedly. The meeting ended up by 2:05 pm.
Then we reached Melamanakudi by 2:45 pm. There Mangavilai
Rajendran sir explained about the nature of the place. We walked
through the plants. He told: the migratory birds that come here include
the pin tailed duck and pelican. The last river in Indian sub-continent is
Palaiyaru. There are artificially made mangroves here. Tsunami has not
affected this place. We can see snake-headed coromoreld, Naarai here.
Mangroves are grown here from 1991. There are two types of
mangroves here. They are Rhizofora and Aveseenia. Rhizofora has
supporting roots. Aveseenia has respiratory roots, which have root caps
called as nematospores. Hey are Talophytes. They grow in marshy areas.
The adaptability of roots of Aveseenia is that, they come out to get
Oxygen. There are 26 varieties of mangroves in Sunder bans. They are
of 16,000 hectares.
Here, the salinity is from 80% to 90%. There are varieties of
prawns and crabs here. They eat micro organisms like Zooplankton and
cytoplankton. Kradelaf Shrimp is the place where the eggs prawns are
kept. Here there is fresh water and more fish grow. In estuary, there
is brackish water and it is the meeting point of river and sea. Palaiyaru
is between west Manakudi church and east Manakudi church. Now, it has
shrinked. Birds from Siberia and Arctic come here. There are more
varieties of bats in mangroves. In a place called Vichaavarem, there are
more mangroves. There is a plant Chambu that purifies polluted water.
We saw a flamingo there.
We also saw Marundhuval Malai. It is believed to be a piece of
mountain that Hanuman carried. We saw a plant with supporting roots.
Their propagation is that, the supporting roots grow like drumsticks. It
is slanting in nature. It pierces in water and grows as a new plant. The
root (vaer) comes from the fruit (pazham). So, a place in Chennai is
named as Pazhaverkaddu. We can’t cut the plant in a crossing manner.
But, bisecting it is easier. Its stem is spongy. It is a good protection for
birds. The birds fly in V-shape, in this place. Then Achsah of green
team gave the feedback. Then we met Mr.Thangaputhiayavan, ISRO.
They are designing GSLV Mark 2 and 3. We thanked him for his
presence. The program ended up by 3:20 pm.
We reached Vattakottai by 4:20 pm. We saw the windmills of
Kudankulam power plant far away. We saw the sea which is part of Bay
of Bengal. We saw Arali plant which is common in temples. Vattakottai is
between Pandyan country and Cheras country. Then we had a short tea
break. We assembled again by 4:45 pm near a tree. First, Ashwin
Niranjan of maroon team said an overall view about the coastal study
tour. He said about their sufferings, their benefits etc. Then
Balakrishnan sir told us about the history of Kodimunai. That is
Parasuraman cut the head of his mother and threw the knife. The knife
fell in a place. Till that place, the water was withdrawn by the sea and
the area became land. That line (Kodu) became Kodimunai. Then Edwin
Sam sir told that, we must do evidence based investigation.
Then Griffin of Red team spoke that it was new experience. He
learnt about the composition of soil. He also learnt about many types of
fish. Followed by that Abiram of maroon team spoke that, it was very
useful. He saw many coastal areas. Then Dhanu and Mervin of red team
spoke on it. Next Pratheesh of maroon team spoke different fish. He
said that he interacted with fishermen. Then Dawnlin Lal of blue team
said about the problems, the coastal people Phase. Then Rujan of yellow
team spoke on his interaction with the fishermen. He was appreciated
for his talk. Then some students including me gave feedback. We were
informed that there will be a camp in Karoor, on the second or third
week January. We will see organic farming industry. Before that there
will be a team meet. Then Meera of blue team gave the vote of thanks
and we left the place by 5:45pm and reached Marthandam. We were
happy to see our parents, waiting for us and reached our homes.
We indeed enjoyed the coastal trip. We learned about many new
varieties of fish. We knew about some coastal areas. We understood
the sufferings of the coastal people. We were served with food. I
express my gratitude to all, who had strived hard to arrange this
coastal trip for us. This will surely make a change in us!
The sea never ends;
KAP’s service to coastal people never ends!
It goes on.....
Thank You.
2.S. Varsha,
Maroon Team.
“We do not need to attend classroom teaching programmes for
everything . Observation opens the windows of knowledge around us”
The great say by Sukant Ratnakar is aptly followed by KAP as we the
young scientists were taken an environmental study tour from Neerodi
to Vattakottai on 28 &29 December, 2013. As usual it was another
restless morning on 28th
since we have to be near Thasaia
Thirumanamandabam, Marthandam by 6.45 AM itself. But to my
surprise all of us were punctual on that day and the SICA college bus
left Marthandam by 7.05AM. Mr. Pasalian, the director of Sigma
College of Architecture was at the entrance to receive us. After having
a delicious breakfast we had assembled in the college ground. Trees are
considered to the lungs of mother earth as it supplies the oxygen
required for her children, we had a memorable event of planting trees
on behalf of each team with the guests present there. Hope these
trees speak stories in the future about KA|P.
Then we arranged ourselves in the conference hall for the
inaugural session. It was time for the green team to host the program.
I.G. Achsah from green team did the compeering. By 8:16 the recorded
voice of the Tamil Thai Vazhthu was played and we sang along with it.
And Fathima Haashima of green team delivered the welcome address.
She welcomed all the notables of the ceremony. The persons were Mr
Velaian, the organizer of Kumari Arivial Peravai, Mr Sindhu Kumar,
Social Reformer, Mr Pasaliyan, and Mr Captain Benet Singh. At this
juncture Mr Velaian was asked to present the inaugural address.
Then Velaian sir came near the podium. The points narrated by him
are:
 The last year’s prize distribution ceremony was held in this
college.
 The chairman of SICA Mr James Wilson does everything to
KAP.
 He reported that we were to visit 44 coastal villages on both
the days.
 The work assigned for us is to do research on the coastal
environment, their difficulty in fishing, their lifestyle,
education, water and land.
 The important thing was to distribute notices to the people
and make aware about their environmental degradation.
 Conducting interviews with the people and introducing it into
our report was also important.
 The chief guest of the ceremony was Mr P.P.K Sindhu Kumar.
He is a person who keeps his lips wide open to the gathering
showing his good attitude.
 Mr Pasaliyan is the administrative officer of SICA.
Then Captain Benet Singh sir took a stand beneath the podium.
The points quoted by him:
 Nowadays the technology is being shared.
 In earlier days it was easier to become a scientist as there
were no one to question us but now it is far difficult as
compared before.
 So we have to develop our abilities.
 In India the total sea coast distance is 7517km.
 Sea coast has to be treated divine as it has many resources.
 He told us to interrogate people about the problems and the
benefits that they face in this coastal region.
 The need of the program is to educate, interact and to
change.
 He directed us to collect maximum amount of data.
 Sir also advised us to put forward our views genuinely.
 Document taking is also very important in our life.
 Today the world is completely globalized. So everything in
the world is interconnected.
 He also advised us to obey the rules laid down by the
coordinators and guide teachers.
Then PPK Sindhu Kumar nourished us with some piece of information.
The points discussed by him are:
 Sir began his speech with a sweet song which tells the importance
of children education.
 Education is important in today’s world.
 He said that we students are the tomorrow’s history.
 At this stage we children develop the attitude of asking the
questions like why, how and for what and that is the reason why
we are selected for young scientist program.
 Coastal villages and the people are very different than the people
who live away from sea.
 He instructed us to use this study tour efficiently and gain
knowledge.
 Between his speech he also raised 3 questions to us. The questions
are:
 Who are the two education ministers in India?
Mr Palaniyappan and Mr Veeramany
 Who organised the noon feeding systems in school?
Ans: - Kamarajar. For this question Ashwidha from yellow team
answered it and got a cash prize of Rs 500
 Who is the scientist who sat under the apple tree to determine
the very important law of the today’s world?
Ans: - Sir Issac Newton. For this question Dhanu from red
team got a cash prize of Rs 100
 Who is the scientist who found the law of flotation?
Ans: - Archimedes. Steffy from red team got a cash prize of
Rs 100 for this question.
After this PPK Sindhu Kumar sir released the pamphlets of all the teams. At
this point of time Abarna from green team delivered the vote of thanks and
Captain Benet Singh sir honoured Mr. Sindhu Kumar sir with a shawl. And the
meeting ended by 9:30am and we got into our bus to start the camp.
The first coastal area that we were to visit was Nerodi. It is where the
coastline of Kanyakumari district begins. We reached there by 10:15am. So
we gathered in St Nicolas High School. There too Achsah did the compeering.
The notables present there are Mr Velaian, Mrs Stella, Mr Franko, Mr
Benzigarajan and Fr Rudolf. The meeting started with the introductory
speech given by Mr Velaian first he addressed us to the gathering. He
informed them that we were the students from 28 schools in Kanyakumari
district. We were selected through various ratings in different levels. He
also asked them to participate in next year’s young scientist program.
Continuingly Benzigarajan sir gave a brief account about India’s
coastline. The points told by him are:
 The largest seashore in the world is in Canada.
 Kanyakumari district is fortunate enough to have Bay of Bengal,
Arabian sea and Indian ocean on all its three sides.
 In India the coastline is about 7100km.
 In Tamil Nadu as well as in KK district the first seashore is
starting from Nerodi.
 Nerodi is called as “land free from water”.
 In KK district the total coastline is 68km.
 There are 1lakh 30 thousand fishermen in our district. So it is
found that more number of fishermen is found only in our district
so many other problems also arise. The problems are lack of home
and lack of space.
 The reason for more fishermen is the presence of more estuaries
and more rivers.
 The estuary is a place where the river water mixes with sea
water. In this place the production of fishes are more.
 In this sea 30 varieties of sharks are present.
 The fishermen of this region go 100km deep into the sea and
return home after 3-6 days.
 All that the people ask to the government is for a house with
proper sanitation and ventilation.
Then we students were allowed to clarify our doubts with Mr Franko.
The questions asked were:
1) What are the major problems faced by the people of this region?
Ans: garbage dumping, resources taking, no harbours etc.
2) What are the diseases caused and what are the remedies taken by
the government to rectify it?
Ans: People of this region are affected with cholera, chicken
pox, dengue etc. it spreads easily from person to person. The main
cause of this disease is the stagnation of rain water.
3) How is the education system in your region?
Ans: The students get it for enough and the system is not
well developed.
4) What is the reason why coconut trees grow more in coastal areas?
Ans: They get all the conditions required for their growth
only in coastal areas.
5) What are the difficulties a man faces while fishing in deep sea?
Ans: There would not be any communication facilities there.
6) What is the total population of the village?
Ans: There would be nearly 2000 families.
Then the students of that school were asked to interrogate us. Then
a boy asked us the need of the program. Another boy asked the use of the
program to the people.
Then Fr. Rudolf said us the lifestyle of the people in a nutshell. The
points said by him:
 The people of this region put their investments in buying boat,
net , fishing needles etc.
 These people spend much of their days in the sea.
 They have a huge difference in their behaviour.
 1/4th of the total earth surface is land.
We had an interaction with a fisherman there. So from him I collected
the following information:
 The boat owner would get 10,000 Rs every day.
 The fisherman would get 45-50 or 400-500 every day.
 The net that they use will be 50m in length.
The time when we went there we saw some fishermen pulling the net
that they have put in early morning. They struggled a lot to pull it out
because during the first wave they pull it then the second wave pulls them
inside again. At this juncture a thought ran in my mind that is the
hardwork and the struggle they face to catch the fish but we people eat
it with ease. Then we asked the people when the net would come out. They
replied that it will come within an hour.
Next we went to the next shore named Vallavilai by 11:50am. We
met Mr Antony. He said that these people use out pod engine. This people
go to the sea by 3:00am and return by 12:00pm. In this shore we saw the
net coming close near the shore. And I was very excited in seeing how
much fish was caught but unfortunately the numbers of fishes were less.
The faces of fisherman soon dropped. Then we entered the Vallavilai ice
plant by 12:16pm. Inside the ice plant Mr Giltos and Mr Mujeeb guided us.
There were small boxes filled with ice and there fishes inside each of
them. The name of the fish is sword fish. These fishes were meant for
exporting in different places. These fishes were small in size. Thereafter
we were sent inside a small room which contained big fishes weighing upto
12kg. Then we had a meeting together to discuss about the happenings of
that particular day. Several students were called upon by Velaian sir in
the front to present the feedback.
Then we departed from there and went and Patriotic Sports Club in
Nithiravilai by 1:35pm. It was the time of maroon team to host the
program. So from maroon team Ashwin Niranjan did the compeering,
Blessy presented the welcome address. The personalities in the stage
were Mr Yogithan, Mr Rajesh, Mr Robert Kumar and Mr Velaian. As usual
Velaian sir started the program with his stage. He said that PSC is an
important group and it can be praised for the services that they do for us
every year.
Then Mr Robert Kumar was asked to continue the program. He was given
a topic VAZHIKATTUTHALAI POTTUVOM. He gave some valuable points
as listed below:
 We should obey the guidance given by our parents.
 We should change all the bad qualities that we possess.
 Always obey the guidance given by the elders.
 Today’s youngsters are tomorrow’s leaders.
 In the road the rules given by traffic police should be
respected.
 When we violte these rules we may meet with an accident.
 Guidance is important in all fields.
 In coastal areas the light house and the compass gives
guidance to the captain in he ship.
 In space the radar gives guidance to the pilot.
 In school it is important to follow the rules of teachers.
 Once there was a boy who was studying in grade 10th. He
went to a shop searching for 10th guide. The shopkeeper
said that 10th guides were not available in that particular
shop. As soon as the shopkeeper replied he again asked for
5th grade guide. Yes replied the keeper. So he asked for two
in them. So sir said that the guidance given to that boy is
wrong.
 He intimated Velaian sir as a Vazhvukaatti.
 In today’s nation the youths are the most directive.
 Once a traveller saw a sign board in the road lying down
confusing the travellers. So this person thought that we
should help the travellers in reaching their correct
destination with ease. So he replanted it into the soil, but
wrongly. This made the people reach wrong destination. So
this story bought a piece of information that the person
who guides should plan and confirm before doing an action.
 He also made the session interesting by making us engaged in
solving a maths problem. We try our level best but we did
not get the answer. As soon as we got the answer we got
another advice which stated us to plan before spending and
spend it efficiently.
 He also informed us about the program that is being held
past 5 days in another district for the welfare of the
children and for developing the knowledge level in children.
 He described about a best team in the program.
 The team members are Kavin, Vijay, Meena and Nandhini.
 They did a presentation against Child Marriage.
 The team leader was Kavin. He was a boy from Erode
district. His mother passed away when he was a little kid
and his father had left him and went away. He worked in a
workshop to make his living. One day Mr Natarajan, who had
felt pity about his lifestyle, brought him up by making him
to learn in a school.
 A training program is very important to grow in heights.
 So concluded his speech by saying us to pick up only the good
directions or points or guidance from the people.
Then Benzigarajan sir came to share his views. The points shared are:
 Days ago 30% of the total land was forest but because of several
human activities the percentage of forest has reduced to 19%.
 Human beings start their habitation.
 As soon as the habitation flourishes electricity, road and water is
needed by the people so for this the people destroy the forest.
 Trees grow mostly on the mountains.
 For building houses people keep bomb to blast it.
 Earlier there were 4,400 ponds in our district. But now it has
become less when counted by PWD.
 The polluted water from the home is released into the water.
 The main income for the farmers is by crops.
 There were 60 varieties of crops.
 Rice is grown in 54 hectors to 24 hectors.
 Coconut was grown in 17,000 hectors.
 Rubber was grown in 19,000 hectors and it is now increased to
more than 20,000 hectors.
 It has become more because it gives us more money.
 It doesn’t support bio diversity.
 In earlier environment there were more insects and birds that
were visible in people’s daily sight. But now it is impossible for us.
Mr Rajesh presented the vote of thanks on behalf of Patriotic sports
club and on behalf of KAP; Praison from maroon team presented the
vote of thanks. And we departed from there by 2:17pm. Then our next
destination was to Parthasarathy temple in Parthivapuram.
We reached there by 3:30pm. We were guided by Mr Thanga
Arasu. He gave a brief account about Indian History. He has written
books named Thental Tamil Elakkanam, Kumkumam, Pasarai and Paintamil
Kumari. He had also worked for a daily magazine named Nilla Muttom.
He also stressed his points based upon Chera dynasty, Chola dynasty
and Pandia dynasty. The points explained by him:
 The symbol of Chera dynasty is arrow and bow.
 The place they lived was called as Villavancodu. And now we
call it as Vilavancodu.
 Some people were called as Veil with respect.
 Waynadu splits as Vel + Nadu.
 North of Waynadu was bounded by Varkalai. South of it was
bounded by Thukklay.
 And he was from Aai generation.
 His father’s name is Kochadaiyan.
 Karunathadagan was one among the KadaEazhu kings.
 Karunathadagan was the king of Waynadu.
 He became king in AD857.
 And he built the Parthasarathy temple in AD 860.
 At that time this place was named as Uzhakudivilai.
 Long ago there were Sabha’s governed by various kings.
 From Munchirai Sabha Karunathadagan bought Uzhakudivilai
instead he gave another piece of land to them.
 The speciality about this land was that water does not get
inside it.
 As
time
passed
Uzhakudivilai
changed
into
Parthibasekarapuram.
 As years passed away Parthibasekarapuram changed into
Parthivapuram.
 The headquarters of Parthivapuram was in Vizhinyam.
 But the boundary as well as headquarters keeps on changing
and does not remain constant due to wars.
 Parthan means Arjun and Sarathy means Krishna.
 ParaanthakaCholan from Chola dynasty was considered brave
and clever.
 Elangkuzhankunchampillai was an author of Travancore.
 There was a fact that Karunathadagan escaped from his
palace in afraid of ParaanthakaCholan.
 He then settled in a small mansion, keeping an eye on the
three major temples.
 The temples were the Adhikesvan temple in Thiruvattar,
Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and
Parthasarathy temple in Parthivapuram.
 The battle head of Villavan was Cheranchenkottuvan.
 His headquarters was in Wanchi.
 Kanakanvisayan made people to carry huge stones in their
head and wash them in the Ganga water and used this stones
to build a temple for Kannaki.
Then we left that temple and went towards Thengapatnam
shore. Meanwhile we saw the AVM channel which is called as Anantha
Victoria Marthandavarma Channel. The length of the AVM channel is
being reduced due to human inhabitation. Most part of this channel is
polluted as well as eutroficated. And it is of no use to the people.
Then we reached Thengapatnam by 5:00pm. We were taken to an
estuary. There Mr Benzigarajan guided us. The name of the estuary is
Thamirabarani estuary. Its branches are Kodayar and Pallayar. It starts
from Muthunkuzhi. This estuary is the biggest estuary in our district.
This estuary separates two major places. This shore got its name
Thengapatnam because it is famous for coconuts. Wave breakers are
kept on the shores to stop or prevent huge waves. It is believed that
600 years ago there were Muslims in this land. They exported some
things to other foreign countries and imported things like dates etc
from countries like Arabia, Iran etc. I also saw a map which stated the
geographical feature of this area. And we left this beach by 5:30pm
Our next destination was Enayam Puthanthurai. We reached there
by 5:45pm. The speciality of this beach is that there are more fishes in
this area. The number of rocks in this area is more as compared to all
other beaches we visited. But this beach was perfectly polluted than
any other beach. The sewage water with pungent odour flows in the
shore. Sacs of garbage is present over the sand. So when asked to the
people to the answered that all this condition is due to the people who
live in the land that is away from the sea. We regarded this as the most
polluted shore in our district.
Then we went to Mr John Britto’s home. We all assembled in the
top floor of the home. We were asked to say the feedback of the
happenings of that day. Then there was a questioning session with Mr
John Britto. We asked him about the fishes in that particular beach. He
replied that from Netholi to Shark everything is present. Then the
question about the pitiable condition of the sea was asked. He answered
that the people from the government who are responsible for collecting
the garbage from this locality is doing it properly and now it is filled
and draining out. So the people of this locality don’t have other go so
they dump it in the sea. Then about population he said that there are
5200 people living here. In this area they use fishing rod instead of
nets to catch the fish. They don’t use bombs for catching fishes and it
is strictly prohibited in this area. People use GPS system to locate
where the net is put in that beach. Then he said the names of wide
range of fishes. Some of it is Netholi, shark, kannadi fish, kaarai,
paarai, prawn, kanava etc. At this juncture Velaian sir informed that we
will be doing several dramas on some general topics. And he gave each
team a topic. Our team got the topic relations.
Then we went to Analakam by 8:40pm. There Velaian sir began the
program with his talk. He described that the owner of this hall has a
link with Nanjil milk. He also informed that Fr Jose Robinson is going to
talk on the topic Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam. Then we underwent a
feedback session. There the feedback was given by Achsah, Steffy,
Varsha, Fathima and R.S Anisha. Then red team went front to do their
drama. Their drama was titled as Happy home. Then the meeting
continued with Fr Jose Robison presenting his speech. The things
described by him:
 This hostel is located in a place called Thaneerpanthal.
 Pandithrai’s were found in this place.
 When people did excavation they found some boats and paddle in
this region. And they came to know that this region was once a
water reserve.
 Science is the true religion.
 We should march for values.
 He said that this trip is not towards Vattakotai but towards life.
 Politician and leader do well only for their goodness and prides.
Then all other teams performed their drama on the topics assigned for
them. And Mr Samraj was asked to give a small talk. He advised us that
our findings should be useful to the society and obey the parents till we
live. He liked the performances of yellow and blue teams. Sir described
about the proverb Thottanaithoorum Manattkeni. He told us to live like
the good persons in our locality.
Velaian sir too liked the blue teams and yellows performances. He was
astonished to see the performance of Krishnaveni. Then the meeting
was completed and everyone went to take a nap.
Day 2.
“ With the new day, comes new strength and new thoughts”.
To keep our mind and body fit, we were undergone session from 5:306:30 conducted by Mr Satheesh Kumar. He concentrated on the 3
important things. One is for eye, other is for concentration and the
last one was for hand and leg. Then we had our tea. Balakrishnan sir
gave some information about all the places that we were to visit that
day. He said that Chothavilai is historically important. Colachel has a
harbour; war memorial pillar is also present in Colachel. We crossed
Krumpanai by 7:40am. We reached Kodimunai by 7:50am. We went to St
Michael primary school. Steffy from red team did the compeering.
Velaian sir presented the inaugural address. He said:
 Destruction of tsunami was less in this region
 The headmistress of this school was Mrs Mary Nimalda.
 Michael Rajan sir was present to say his experience as a citizen
of this village.
 With less time gain more information.
Mary Nimalda mam came front to share her opinions. Mam said that the
speech that Velaian sir is inspiring and has attracted various students.
She also welcomed the gathering and wished us for great future. Then
Michael Rajan sir shared his experience with us. Cause of less tsunami:
 It is a steep area.
Tsunami in Colachel:
 Death rate was 1330.
 There were no barriers like trees or wave breakers.
There was a meeting in Thuckaly. The coastal people were not allowed to
speak in the gathering or share their problems. The people of this
village are affected by cancer. They had found that the cause of the
disease is the sand. The death rate in Kodimunai was considered less.
There was an interactive session between us and Mr Michael Rajan.
Blessy questioned sir about the fishes present in the particular sea. Sir
answered that month to month the fishes differ. June to July, a fish
called Kanava and Prawn can be found. Shajin from yellow team asked
about the tsunami destruction. Ans: 128 houses were destroyed. Steffy
from red team asked about the steps taken by the government to
rectify cancer. Ans: The government did not take any steps. Achsah had
a doubt that whether there would any climatic variations due to the
elevated place. Ans: No. Are there any ships from foreign coming to
Kodimunai? Ans: Yes. Jeneiba asked about the water movement. Ans: It
is according to the moon. Abarna asked about the speciality of this
beach. Ans: It has many rocks and is very beautiful. Then we were taken
to the beach and made to sit over a large rock. There Benzigarajan sir
gave some information about this beach. It is as follows:
 This place is known for rocks.
 Small fishes are only available and the fishes are different.
 Fishing is more because of Paambar River.
 The name of the estuary present here is Paambar.
 In Kotilbadu 1/3rd people died due to tsunami.
Then we went to Colachel by 9:40. The significance are:
 It is a natural harbour
 Enoor is a artificial harbour.
 More fishes are available.
 Small fishes are only available.
 It is a tourist place.
 More tsunami destruction.
We also met the municipal commissioner of Colachel Mr Suresh. The
points said by him:
 They are taking steps to purifying the sewage water before
releasing it into the sea.
 When the bad sewage water joins the sea it worse the situation.
 A plant called Canna acts as an aerator.
 It absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases
oxygen into the soil through its roots thus making the soil pure.
 In Europe they have tried this method and it is 80% successful.
 Now in Colachel Er Suresh sir has made a miniature model.
 And they have got permission from Mrs Madhumathi for
establishing this project.
 1 megawatt electricity releases 6kg CO2 into the atmosphere.
 They are also going to work on a project to clean AVM channel.
 Energy conservation is very important.
 Use CFL bulbs
We also saw the sewage treatment plant which contained 3 chambers.
We also saw the tsunami memorial building and the victory pillar. The
victory pillar was built on 3, July, 1741. It was built by Travancore after
defeating the Dutch.
Then we went to Kadiapatnam by 10:25am. We saw the Valliyar
estuary there. It is originating from Velli Mallai. It has a dam named
Maambazhathanai dam. It irrigates 144 hectors of lands. Rare earths
are found in the sand. Illuminate is present. Its chemical name is
titanium. More than iron titanium is stronger but has light weight. Root
oil is also present. It is red in colour. It is used in making cosmetics.
Yellow colour thing called sircon is also present. It can withstand heat
upto 30000C. Monocyte is also present. It is reddish brown in colour.
Its ore is thorium. It is used in making atom bomb.
Then we went to Muttom by 10:55am. It is a place of tourist
attraction. It has rocks in and out of it. More fishes are present. The
estuary present here is Valliyar estuary. Oyster, prawn and crabs are
present in this sea in large amount. It is a part of Arabian Ocean. Light
house is present.
By 11:40 we reached Rajakamangalam Thurai. Steffy did the
compeering. Velaian sir told them how and when we were selected.
Students of eighth grade are selected in the month of June. We
underwent a selection and training session for six months. On thes
whole there will be nearly 30 programs. We were there to do research
on the people’s lifestyle and customs. Then Glastone sir gave a small
talk. He said that the world is damaging and it is our duty to protect it
from depleting and create awareness among people. Ethazl from red
team presented the feedback.
By 12:15pm we took a sight on the Periyakadu beach. And we also saw
the natural sand hills which can stop heavy waves. We also crossed
Pozhikarai by 12:29pm. We crossed Changmugam by 12:40pm.
We reached Chothavilai by12:43pm. We saw Mr Raguvaran, Mr
Krishna and Mr Murugan from ISRO. Then Velaian sir came front to
give a small talk. He expressed that relations and service are the
lessons of life. He said that Mangavilai Rajendran sir is going to talk on
a topic. Then we had our lunch. The points discussed by Rajendran sir
about the topic Padaipai Pottruvom. It is as follows:
 We people are also the creations of God.
 All the beaches that we saw yesterday are a part of Arabian
Sea.
 Bangladesh was got from Pakistan.
 Rabindranath Tagore wrote national anthem for both India and
Bangladesh.
 Rio de Jenero has the world’s largest sea shore in the world.
 Marina beach is the world’s 2nd largest sea shore.
 Mud in the sea is white because of the constant inflow of the
water. It acts as a cradle for the mud.
 The place where the water doesn’t influence is black in colour.
 The scientific name of sand is Silica.
 In Manavazhakurichi the sand is difficult to lift.
 Sand dew acts as a natural fencing. It stops high level waves. It
gives protection to the people. The tsunami that came in 26 th
Jan, 2014 was 25 cm.
 Earlier there were two main trees in coastal areas namely
Thaalai and punnai.
 Thaalai has supporting roots and it is difficult to release out of
the soil.
 Punnai tree is very beautiful to see, it is used for lighting diyas
in temples.
 Some animals found in coastal areas are Ural which has two
horns in the front.
 Crabs can be seen wandering in the shore.
 Tortoise eats up the waste in the shore thus cleans the
environment.
 In Danushkodi there is freshwater beneath the sea.
I did recall a quote “ we are seeds as well as parasites to
the earth. We
can either give or take, depending on our perception of growth” by
Zephyr Melntyre and remembered the beauty and strength of our
mother nature and its pitiable condition now which we had seen and
observed throughout out our journey. Shri. Mangavilai Rajendran sir,s
sweet words and knowledge about the surroundings and nature is not
easy to be measured, I felt.
We reached Manakudi by 2:40pm. There we saw Cheemavoda which is
used for burning as wood. Paambuthalai Naarai was found peeping out of
the water. I also saw an artificial mangrove. It was planted by human in
1919. Due to tsunami the 5 pieced bridge was broken and only two
pieces are found. Mangrove is an adaptation to marshy areas. It is of
two types one is Rizopora andAvicenna. Sunder bans has the largest
mangrove in the world which is 2lakh 30 thousand hectors in length. It
sends the respiratory roots out of the water to take carbon dioxide
from the atmosphere. The mangrove leaves acts as a cradle for shrimp.
More crabs and prawns are present here. Siberian birds are also
present here. Bats are also present here and it builds a nest inside the
mangrove forest. Vichapuram in India has the largest mangrove. Sunder
bans is known for Bengal tigers. Rizopora is found more in
Pazhaverakadu in Chennai. Thaalai stem cannot be opened in a cross way
but only vertically because it has more fibres. Their roots will be
weightless and it will have more sponges in it. Achsah said the feedback.
At this juncture we also got a rare opportunity to meet Mr
Thangaputhiyavan, who is working in ISRO.
Then we went to Vattakotai by 4:15pm. The wars of Pandyas and the
Chera’s were held here. We also saw the Thiruvalluvar Statue and the
Koodankulam atomic power station from there. Balakrishnan sir said a
story based on the formation of Kerala. Then we were allowed to say
the feedback. And the total program ended by 6:50pm.
Hearing gives 10 percent. Listening gives 20 percent. But
seeing/doing gives 100 percent knowledge. The two day coastal study
tour is also another landmark opportunity in the path of our journey as
young scientist. So far, I have visited only towns and some beautiful
villages where nature dances or cries. But in Kanyakumari District along
the coast we have a lot of innocent, poor fishermen folks who are
always looking at the deep sea for their very survival. The sea is their
God, Mother, Provider, Care taker and what not. The villages are not
looked after either by the people or by the civic authorities. It.s true
the government has provided a lot of schemes and facilities. But to my
observation, they are inadequate. We could understand their innocence
and agony too. About 20 fishermen.s catch from a vallam was only about
few kilograms of fish which is not even enough to feed one family.
When we interviewed them, most of them were desperate and
disappointed and unsure about their future. But the sea is their only
hope and all.
I salute Mr. M. Velaian and all members of KAP for their vision and
attempt to educate us in true life situations.
The two days event
might have passed. But the memories will always linger throughout our
life.
3.G.Jeshwini,
Green Team.
After the team meet (Green team), the next meeting i.e. the
Coastal Environmental Study Tour was held on 28.12.2013 and
29.12.2013. We were asked to assemble in Thasaiyah Mandapam
(Marthandam) at 6.30 am. As I reached the destination by 6.32 am, I
saw many of my co-mates standing there and I joined them. At about
6.50 am the SIGMA College bus arrived and we entered inside. We
started our travel and some of them joined in between. During the
travel, we were served with laddoo for the promotion of Velaian sir to
the post of engineer. The morning session responsibility was given to
the Green team. As we entered into the SIGMA College of
Architecture, we could see Captain Bennet Singh and Mr.Pasalian, the
Director of SIGMA College standing there to welcome us. They gave us
a warm welcome and we were asked to go to the canteen to have our
breakfast. We were served with tasty food and then we had our tree
planting session. The team leaders together with P.P.K.Sindhu Kumar sir
and Captain Bennet Singh planted the saplings. Next, we went to the
Conference Hall and the meeting started at 8.15 am. The meeting
started with a Tamizhthai vazhthu and Achsah from Green team
compered the meeting. She thanked Dr.James Wilson for providing such
facilities. Next, Fathima Haashima gave the welcome address. She
welcomed Mr.Pasalian,the Director of SIGMA, Mr.Sindhu Kumar,
Captain Bennet Singh, Er.Velaian, Mr.James Wilson and Mrs.Gladis
Wilson, the Secretary of SIGMA. As usual Mr. Velaian took the mike
and gave a brief introduction about the program and told some
instructions that we should follow in these two days. We will have to do
research about the purity of water in the sea, resources found in the
seas etc. He said that many co-coordinators and guide teachers will be
staying with us so we will always be safe. We will be staying in a training
centre in Mangarai. Captain Bennet Singh in his address informed that
we are in a fast moving and a changing world. Nowadays, technology is
being shared by everyone. In early days, it was easy to become a
scientist. But nowadays it is very tough to become a scientist because
since everybody know everything. In these two days we will be doing the
work what a journalist or an environmentalist used to do which will be
like a thesis submission. He explained about the geographical area of
Neerodi and Vattakottai. The coastal area of India is 7517 km. Fresh
water is used for many purposes like drinking, commercial and the waste
water is dumped into the seas. So by this study tour, we will do
research about the sources of pollution, problems of coastal people,
benefits of coastal people and the education of coastal people. The
purpose of the coastal study tour can be shortly defined as to educate,
interact and change the lifestyle of coastal people. He said to collect
datas as much as possible. Whatever we find we should say it in a strong
and genuine way. For example, if we go to Choththavilai beach, we must
do research about the reasons for unsafe like no rescue centres. These
two days are the days for a change in our life. So we must observe
everything and record everything. Our ancestors too have taken
documentary, so that we are able to understand this much. At last he
wished all the best for the coastal study tour. He also advised
everybody to obey, follow and cope up with the guides and set an
example for others. Next, P.P.K.Sindhu Kumar who is a social reformer
gave the presidential address. He started with a tamil song i.e. “nalla
nalla pizhzhaikalai nambi………”.By this song he explained that education
is very important. He said a proverb i.e. “If a aman has to be a man, he
has to be educated”. He also said a Thirukkural. He said that today’s
Young Scientists will make tomorrows history. Earlier, there was only
one Educational minister. But now there are two educational ministers one for higher education and another one for school education. Tamil
Nadu’s higher educational minister is Mr.Palaniyappan and school
educational minister is Mr.Veeramani. He asked questions to everybody
and those who answered it got cash prizes. The first question was “who
introduced the noon meal scheme ?”Aswidha from Yellow team answered
the question. Our former Chief Minister Kamaraj introduced the noon
meal scheme because one day when he was travelling in a car, he saw a
shepherd boy. When Kamaraj asked him why he is not going to school,
he replied that who will give me food if I go to school? So Kamaraj
understood that for food only many children are not going to school. So
he introduced the scheme so that at least for food many children will
go to school. Kumari Arivial Peravai has selected eighth standard
students because in children only many questions will be running in their
mind. When Swami Vivekananda was a small boy, when his father died he
asked to himself whether God is really there. Due to this question only
he became a devotee of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and experienced God
through him. When Newton was sitting near an apple tree he thought
why did the apple fall down? Why won’t it go up? Due to this question
only he found the gravitational force. The question why only made him
so famous. KAP is a golden opportunity for us. He wished us to use it
usefully and become great scientists. From Neerodi to Vattakottai
there are nearly 44 coastal villages and we could see many things like
sea cucumber, sea waves etc. Then we had the release of the BIT
Notice of each teams. At last, Abarna gave the vote of thanks. During
the vote of thanks, Captain Bennet Singh honoured P.P.K.Sindhu Kumar
with a shawl. Then we started our travel to Neerodi. During the travel,
scientist Benzigar Rajan and Mrs.Jaya Kumari joined us in between. We
also crossed Anandha Victoria Marthandavarma Canal(AVM Canal) and
at last we reached Neerodi. There we went to St.Nicholas Higher
Secondary School. First of all, Achsah gave the welcome address. Next,
Er. Benzigar Rajan gave the presidential address. He said that the total
coastal area of the world is 4,40,000 km. The country which has the
longest coast is Canada with 2,00,000 km of coast. India has coastal
area of nearly 7100 km. It starts from Calcutta in the east to Rann of
Kutch in the west. Kannyakumari is the only place in India where two
seas and a ocean meet. The speciality of Neerodi is that the coast of
Tamil Nadu and Kannyakumari starts from Neerodi. Neerodi means free
from water. The total coastline of Tamilnadu is 1070 km and the total
coastline of Kanyakumari is 68 km. Though the coastline of
Kannyakumari forms only a part of the total coastline of Tamilnadu, out
of 10,00,000 fishermen(in Tamilnadu) 1,30,000 fishermen i.e. 26% of
the fishermen live in Kannyakumari. In Kanyakumari there are rivers like
Tamirabarani and estuaries. The main problems of the fishermen in
Kanyakumari are no land and lack of houses for living. In Neerodi, the
main fishes available are sharks and surai. There are 375 varieties of
sharks in the world. Out of these 30 varieties are available in Neerodi.
The specialty of the people from Neerodi to Thoothur is that they do
deep sea fishing i.e. they do fishing more than 100 km inside the sea.
They do fishing not only for 1 or 2 days, they do fishing for 3 to 6 days.
Their important need is well sanitized toilets and ventilated houses.
Next, we had an interactive session. Mr.Franko answered our questions.
The first question was asked by Anisha. She asked which is the main
problem of the coastal people in Neerodi. He answered that no harbor,
sea erosion and no place to dispose the wastes are the main problems.
Next Steffy asked which diseases are common in Neerodi? He
answered that due to stagnant water many communicable diseases like
chickunguniya are spread. Next Varsha questioned that what job will
the people do when there is a ban for fishing(45 days)? He answered
that Government will give some subsidy and no other solution is there.
Next Lekshmi asked what is the education status of the coastal people?
He answered that required education is available but there are only
rare job opportunities. Next Ashwin asked what are the steps to save
fish? He answered that we should not catch fish totally. Earlier they
used to see the sea colour and wind direction and then only they will go
for fishing. But nowadays big ships are putting nets and catching fishes
totally. Because of this 2% of the total fish is being reduced annually.
Maybe after 15-20 years there is a chance for no fish. Next Dhanu
asked about the medical facilities available there. He answered that it
is not a big issue. He also informed us that the population of Neerodi is
around 2000 families. Next, the students from that school asked
question to us. First, a boy asked what is the main aim of our study
tour? Steffy,Varsha and Lekshmi answered this question by saying that
we will do research and will create awareness among the coastal people.
Another one boy asked what is the use of this study tour? Anisha
answered this question by saying that in the notice there are
instructions. If you follow these instructions, it will be of great use. A
girl asked whether the sea resources will decrease within 10 years?
Captain Bennet Singh answered this question by saying that like people,
fish will also increase. It will never decrease. Next, Achsah gave the
feedback. We had an important person there that is Fr. .Rudolph. Really
we got some valuable information and psychological answers about the
nature of fishermen. He said that if we ask town people what is your
property, they used to say their lands, houses etc. But if we ask to
coastal people what is your property, they won’t say lands, houses etc.
Instead they used to say their boats, ships etc. Earlier fishermen used
to stay for one day and catch the fish. But nowadays they are staying
for more than one month. Since they are staying for more than one
month, in this one month fully they will be seeing only the net and the
sea. So their behavior will be different. Fishing is the most risky job in
the world. Because if there is a rain, we can’t do anything but to drain in
the rain. Mr. John Rabi kumar sir gave the vote of thanks. Next, we had
an interactive session with the fishermen. First we met a fisherman
called Anthony. He said that he does fishing in a manual boat. The most
common fishes in Neerodi are shark, karai fish and keeri fish. The
owner of the manual boat will get upto Rs.10,000 and he will get a profit
of Rs.25 to Rs.500. If there is a rain when fishing, they have to drain in
the rain. School education up to tenth standard is compulsory in
Neerodi. ID cards are supplied to all the fishermen by the government.
For a manual boat license is not required but for a mechanized boat
license is required. They use fuels like petrol to run the motor fitted in
the boats. By 11.40AM we had reached Vallavizhai .There we met a fish
selling woman called Pushpam. She said that plaice was once rich in
fishes. Due to bad weather now they don’t get more fish and are
starving. Usually men used to go for fishing and women will buy from
them and sell. Next, Siluvammai from Niththiravizhai who is also a fish
selling woman said that she has been doing this job for 10 years. She
mostly sells karuvadu. Karuvadu is formed by drying the ordinary fish in
sunlight for two days. Next we met a woman who is the head of a
society. There are five societies in that village. Each fisherman will get
approximately a profit of Rs.3 for each boat. Out of this Rs.2 should
be given to the society and the fisherman will gain profit of Rs.1. We
also some fishermen who had finished their fishing and brought fishes.
Next, we saw the fish auction lively. We also saw some people catching
fish using nets. They used to put these nets twice or thrice a day.
Nearly 25 to 30 people were rowing the nets but there were only some
fishes. We also saw a violet flower called shirobia malanasia which was
very beautiful. We were guided by Mr.Anthony in the ice plantation
where we saw many big fishes like kattakomban which grows upto 14
feet and a weight of 500 kg, nei meen, sword fish and romeo fish which
are exported daily. The main fish exported is kanava. It is in great
demand in foreign countries. Steffy, Rujan and many others gave the
feedback. While Ethazl thanked everybody we left that place. At 1.05
pm the responsibility was given to the Maroon team and we reached
Niththiravizhai. Ashwin compered the meeting. First of all scientist
Benzigar Rajan was honoured with a shawl. Blessy gave the welcome
address. She welcomed scientist Benzigar Rajan, Rajesh, the Secretary
of Patriotic Sports Club, Yogithan, the President of Patriotic Sports
Club and Mr.Robert Kumar. Next, Velaian sir started his talk. According
to him he is watching the services of Patriotic Sports Club from his
younger days. Every member of the society is an youngster. By seeing
the sound systems, we can understand that they arranged this program
like a function i.e. in a grand manner. Mr.Robert Kumar came to speak on
the topic “Vazhikatuthalai Potruvom”. He explained that guidance is
what we get from parents in home. If we obey the parents guidance,
100% we will become great leaders. In home we will get other guidance
from our elders and relatives. We should always accept their guidance.
In road, we get guidance from traffic police. If we don’t follow his
direction, it will be a danger. In school, we get guidance from teachers.
For example, a tenth standard boy went to a shop and asked a tenth
standard guide. But unfortunately, there was no tenth standard guide.
So he asked two fifth standard guides(Since 5+5=10). He advised us
that we should not follow such bad direction and follow the best
direction. According to him our KAP Organzer Vellaiyan sir is not a
“vazhikatti” but a “vazhvukatti”. The directions should be in a proper
way. For example, one day a youth saw a board which showed the
direction to Kanyakumari and Trivandrum which had fallen down. So he
actively took the board and fixed it. But unfortunately, he fixed it
wrongly. So the people who had to go to Trivandrum went to
Kanyakumari and the people who had to go to Kanyakumari went to
Trivandrum. Though we have speed and thought, we should confirm
whether it is correct. We were puzzled by him with a simple maths
problem. Through this problem he explained that preplanning is very
important. The main reason for the success of KAP is preplanning. He
also revealed about the Children Scientific Program is being held in
Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh) during 27.12.2013 to 31.12.2013. In that
program Kavin, Vijay, Meena and Nandhini as a team from Erode are
participating. The team is headed by Kavin and guided by Mr.Kanagaraj.
They have won the District level and State level first prize and are now
participating in the national level. When Kavin was young, his mother
died and his father abononed him. When he was working in a workshop, a
man named Mr. Natrajan took him and admitted him in a school. By the
guidance given in their school, he has come to this level. The topic of
the project is Child Marriage Abolishment. KAP has given golden
guidance to us and we should train at least another fifty people. He said
a proverb that “Vazhnthal maram veezhnthal uram”. There are both
good and bad directions, but we should follow the best direction. Next,
Er. Benzigar Rajan started his talk on the topic “Environment in
Kanyakumari”. He mentioned that the total area of Kanyakumari
district is 1681 sq. km. Kanyakumari district has all forms of lands
except desert. Earlier 30% of the total area i.e. 1681 sq km was
covered with forest. But now it has decreased from 30% to 19%. Since
the people in hills require road, electricity the forest cover is being
destroyed. They attain a process called fragmentation. Trees mainly
grow in hills. But we destroy the hills for rocks. The alternate way is
that in Tirunelveli district if we dig 4 feet itself rock is there. So we
can use these rocks. The only district which receives two monsoons in
India is Kanyakumari. Earlier there were 3-8 ponds in one village. But
now ponds are very rare. Earlier there were more than 4400 ponds in
Kanyakumari. But now according to PWD record there are only 1750
ponds. In Kanyakumari, there are 4 to 5 big rivers. But these rivers are
damaged because of dumping sewage. Earlier there was approximately
30 cm rainfall. But now, there is only 21 cm rainfall. Earlier in
Kanyakumari the major crop was rice with 50,000 hectare and 60
varieties of rice were available. But now it is reduced 24,000 hectare.
The second crop is coconut which has reduced from 21,000 hectare to
17,000 hectare. The third crop is rubber which has increased to 19,000
hectare. This crop is not an eco-friendly crop but people plant it for
cash. Earlier a variety of rice called samba was available. But now it is
not available. He concluded by saying that let’s stop pollution. At last,
Mr.Rajesh and Praisan gave the vote of thanks. We had our lunch at
2.20 pm. By 3.30 pm,we reached Parthibapuram temple. There we met
poet Thanga Arasu who has written many books like Kankumam,
Bharathi, Pasarai and Painthamizh Kumari. Velaiaan sir said that he has
also directed a monthly magazine called “Vilamuttan”. Next, poet Thanga
Arasu started his talk. He explained that Parthiban means king. Out of
Chera, Chola and Pandya, Cheras were the first to rule. The place in
which we were sitting was owned by the Cheras. The symbol of Cheras
is bow & arrow. Villavan kodu now stands changed as Vizhavankodu. In a
place called Aikudi a person called Karunaththadankal who was a Venad
king lived. He was the descendant of Aai. Karunaththadankal’s father
name was Kochchadaiyan. Vezh is a form of respective word. Venad
splits as Vezh+nadu. The northern boundary of Venad was Varkalai and
the southern boundary of Venad was Thuckalay. Boundaries are not
permanent: They were always changing. Karunaththadankal became the
king of Venad in A.D.857 and in A.D.860 he built the Parthibapuram
temple. Earlier the place in which the temple stood was called as
Uzhakkudivizhai. He chosed this place to build the temple because in
this place only no water can enter. Next, Uzhakkudivizhai changed as
Parthibashekapuram and it now stands as Parthibapuram. The capital of
Venad was Vizhinam(not permanent). The name of the temple is
Parthasarathi temple. Parthan refers to Arjunan and Parthasarathi
means Arjun’s chariot driver i.e. Krishnan, who was Chera’s deity. When
Paranhaka Chola took war on Travancore, Karunaththadankal ran away.
Izhan Kuzhan Kunchampillai who is a author(Malayalam) has written that
Karunaththadankal ran away due to the fear of Paranthaka Chola. He
ran away to a palace in Kazhakottam. From there he used to go to three
family temples. They are: i)Adhi Keshava temple(Thiruvattar)
ii)Padmanabaswami
temple(Trivandrum)
and
iii)Parthasarathi
temple(Parthibapuram). Cheran Senkuttuvan who is the younger brother
of Ilankovadikal one day went to a hill. There many hunters said that
they saw a woman who was like Kannaki. One day, a program was held in
North India. In that program they spoke ill of South Indian rulers.
When Cheran Senkuttuvan came to know about this he went to North
India and defeated 100 kings and made Kanagan and Visayan to carry
stones on their head. With these stones he built a temple. He concluded
by saying that we should be proud to say that we are Chera’s
descendants. Then we went into the temple. A priest said that this
temple is the only temple in India which has no kannikkai petti. By 4.45
pm, we reached Thengapatnam. We walked and went near the
Tamirabarani estuary. There scientist Benzigar Rajan explained us that
Tamirabarani is the biggest river(68 km) in Kanyakumari. It divides two
rivers namely the Kodayar where the Perunchani dam is built and
Pazhaniyar where the Perunchani dam is built. Thengapatnam derives its
name from an Arabian word “patnam” which means city and because of
its coconut fertility. Before 600 years, Muslim traders imported
coconut and exported badam. In Thengapatnam the thoondil vazhaivu is
used which acts as a wave-breaker. Tamirabarani estuary is the biggest
estuary in Kanyakumari. Sea erosion can be minimized by using big rocks.
The Thengapatnam estuary divides two places namely Thengapatnam and
Puththanthurai. We also saw a map which was a general layout of
Thengapatnam sea. Then, at nearly 5.40 pm we reached Enayam
Puththanthurai. Still that, the places which we saw there were no rocks.
But from this place the rocks start. The seashore was fully in an
unhygienic condition. According to the rules, solid waste should be left
only 100 feet away from in the sea. It is an punishable offence. We
also saw sewage water being flown in the seashore itself. Then we went
to Mr.John Britto’s house. First, Fathima, Tino and Anisha said the
feedback. Next,we were served with snacks. Next, Velaian sir listed out
the topics for our skits like Happy Home for Red team. Then we had an
interactive session with Mr.John Britto. First, Lekshmi asked why
Inayam Puththanthurai is more polluted than other places? He replied
that since there are no places to dispose the wastes, it is more polluted.
He said that after tsunami we cannot say which fish will be caught
when. But in the months of June, July, August the most common fish is
prawn. All fishes from neththoli to sharks are available in Inayam
Puththanthurai. Mostly the fish kanava breeds near rocks. He also said
another method which is used to breed kanava fishes. The population of
Inayam Puththanthurai is around 5200. Nets are used only for prawn
fishes and only nylon nets are used. Other fishes like ayalai and surai
are caught using thoondil. In Inayam Puththan thurai no bombs are used
to catch fish. Kal ral is caught by keeping the iron cage near a rock. The
most common fishes are vazhai, kozhuvai, parai, chazhai, vezha, puzhi,
pezhai, imbalam. Klathi, kuthipu, sambu, kannadi, neththoli,
navarai,mananku, kalavai, therachi, nei, morai, chammeen, kanava, chippi,
ayalai and many kinds of crabs are also found. At last, Steffy gave the
vote of thanks. Velaian sir said that Sr.Rosemary, who has been a part
of KAP has introduced us to such a nice person. Then we went to
Mangarai and had our dinner. Then a preparatory time of 10 minutes was
given to prepare for the skits. Then we assembled on a room and
Lekshmi compered the meeting. First, we saw the skit of Red team on
the topic “Happy home”. Next, Fr.Jose Robinson gave the presidential
address. He disclosed that the place in which we were sitting was called
as thaneerpanthalvizhai. When Lemuria continent was there this place
was full of forest. A branch of a river was flowing near. In that branch
river even big boats used to travel. It has now reduced to a stream but
even though it never goes down i.e. there will be always water in the
stream. He mentioned a quote that “Science is the true religion”. But it
does not mean the religion what we are practicing but here it means
way. Nowadays, many politicians and researchers do research for their
selfishness. But we are doing social service. We should say everything
clearly to people. He also appreciated the drama of the Red team. He
said that we are marching for values and “vattakottai” will be a
“vazhvukottai” for us. The feedback was given by Anisha and Achsah.
The talent show of the young scientists were the next item. Each team
performed well by the way of skits on the topics viz. Maroon team on
“Relations”, Yellow team on “Respect elders”, Blue team on “Quarrel
family” and Green team on “School”. Gladson sir accompanied our skits
with his music. Next, Dr.Jose Robinson appreciated us for our good
observation. He said that we can use the Analagam, college and Nanjil
milk plant freely. Next, scientist Samraj came to speak. He said that
velaian sir is seeing us like his eyes. Earlier politicians like Kamaraj was
not selfish. But today’s politicians are very selfish. And we are doing a
thing like social service. He also appreciated poet Thanga Arasu. Then
he appreciated blue and yellow teams for their skits. We eighth
standard students get chances what even college students cannot get.
He also mentioned a quote that “yam petta enbam evvaiyakam peruka”.
He recited a Thirukkural and said that how much we dig, we get more
and more. So we should search and read good books as much as possible.
He requested us to have national patriotism in whatever we do. Next,
Velaian sir specially appreciated Krishnaveni and Rujan for their acting.
Next, he said about the next day’s program. The first session will be
yoga which will taught by Mr.Sathish Kumar. At last, Divya and Ethazl
gave the feedback. Then we went to sleep. On 29.12.2013 we woke up at
5’o clock and got dressed up. Next, Sathish Kumar sir taught us some
simple yoga. Balakrishnan sir advised us that the landscape of the
beaches should also be mentioned in our reports. Next, we went to
St.Michael Primary School, Kodimunai. The responsibility was given to
the Red team. Steffy compered the meeting. Next, Velaian sir gave the
inaugural address. He said the impacts of 2004 tsunami was less in
Kodimunai. He also said that this the first time KAP has come to
Kodimunai. He mentioned that Rujan and Shanu are from this school.
Next, the Principal of that school Mrs.Mary Vimalda came to speak.
First of all she welcomed everybody and appreciated Velaian for his
interest. She said that today’s young scientists will be tomorrow’s
scientists. She concluded by wishing everybody to become great
scientists. Next, Mr.Michael Raj who is a villager came to speak. He said
since Kodimunai is in a very high place, the effects of 2004 tsunami was
less. But in Thotilkadu 1119 people died due to tsunami. He informed
about a meeting in Thuckalay, the fishermen were given no importance
and their ideas were neglected. Before 10 years, cancer in Kodimunai
was very low. But now more than 50 people are affected by cancer. This
is because of the Puthoor sand grabbing. When they grab the sand the
radiation affect the people. The population of Neerodi is around 1400
families with nearly 5000 people. He said during the month of January
neththoli fishes is available more, during February, March fishes like
vazhai are caught in abundance, during June and July prawn and kanava
and in December klathi fish is caught more. He said during tsunami
nearly 125 houses were washed away but Bishop’s House together with
the Tamilnadu government is building those houses. He said that still
now there is no sand grabbing in Neerodi. Next Achsah asked whether
there is any difference in climate since Kodimunai is in a higher altitude.
He answered that there is no difference in climate and still now no
international fishing is done in Kodimunai. He said that when Narasimha
Rao was the Prime Minister, he introduced a law i.e. Coastal management
Act. According to that act, the national and international boundaries
were set. The next question raised was which type of fishes is being
export. He answered that fishes like kanava( 1 kg=Rs.350) and prawns
are exported daily. Next Varsha asked what type of problems do the
fishermen face when they are fishing? He answered that no signal, no
communication and no safety are the major problems. He said that since
this government is taking fast action, we are relieving from our
problems slowly. He said once a fisherman got lost and he was not seen
for 56 days. In that 56 days he had no food so he drank turtle blood
and lived. He said that according to full moon and no moon the sea waves
will be different. Earlier they used to keep their leg in the sand and
according to the depth they will fix their direction of fishing. He also
mentioned that if there is some engine problem or more wind they can’t
return to the coast. Next Lekshmi asked whether there is tourism in
Kodimunai? He answered that there is no tourism in Kodimunai and
places like Choththavizhai have tourism. Next Abarna asked what is the
specialty of Kodimunai? He answered that a beautiful sea coast and the
rocks are the specialty of Kodimunai. He also mentioned that nearly
75% of the fishes are not available now. Rujan and Shanu gave the
feedback and Steffy said the vote of thanks. Next we had our
breakfast and Varsha thanked the institution for providing us such
facilities. Next we walked over the rocks and reached the end. It was
such an thrilling experience. Scientist Benzigar Rajan sir guided us
there. He said the fish potential is very high because Pambar channel
and Simon colony merges at that destination. Fishes which are small in
size are available in Kodimunai. This place is also called as Pambar
estuary.The total area of estuary In Kanyakumari is about 10,000
hectares.. Out of 20 wadge banks in the world, one wadge bank is in
Kanyakumari which covers an area of 30 sq.km. The speciality of
Kodimunai is its rocks. During 2004 tsunami nearly one third of the
people in Thottilpadu died. We saw some footprints and it is said that
those were the footprints of Jesus. Then we reached Colachel by 9.35
am. We were accompanied by Scientist Benzigar Rajan. He said that in
A.D.1741 there was a war between the Dutch and Marthanda Varma.
Marthanda Varma won that war and in memory of it the war memorial
was built. Next, we met the Colachel Municipality Commisioner
Mr.Suresh, who is the father of Ananda Lakshmi, a former Young
Scientist. He started by saying a thirukkural i.e. “Neerinti ameyiyadhu
ulaku”. He said that one of the important resource is water. Sewage
flown into the sea is a major problem today. So we should avoid water
pollution. Plants like nanal and chambu are water purifiers. Kena is also
plant which is a main water purifier. The root of kena releases oxygen.
This method is also called as the root zone method. This method is
accepted 80% worldwide. He also informed that they are also taking
efforts to clean the AVM Channel within three years. He mentioned
that energy conservation is very important. Instead of tube lights
which consume 50 W, lights like P5, LED and CFL which consume 25 W
can be used. By doing this way 20% of the energy can be saved. The
meeting was concluded with the vote of thanks of Steffy. On the way
to Kadiapatnam we crossed Mandaikattu temple in the left. We also saw
the valliaru which originates from the vezhi malai. We reached
Kadiapatnam by 10.25 am. We were astonished to hear from Er.
Benzigar Rajan that one of the rarest soil i.e. thadhu manal is found at
Kadiapatnam. It consists of heavy minerals like iluminite(black in
colour), siluminite and root oil(red) which is used for cosmetic items and
contains titanium oxide which is 10 times stronger than iron and only
one third of the weight of iron. In cars, now titanium alloy is used. It
also contains sircon which has a melting point of 3000 degree celcius
and monocite(reddish brown in colour) from which thorium is produced.
The Atomic Station in Tharapore(Bombay) uses thorium from
Kadiapatnam. From thorium Uranium is produced where atomic reaction
takes place. The population of Kadiapatnam is nearly 14,000 people. We
also saw the Valliyar estuary where the Valliyar joins with the sea. Then
we reached Muttam by 10.50 am and had a break. Benzigar Rajan sir
said that this is a tourist place and in this place the rocks will be
outside the sea also. It is also a wadge bank. It is not a deep sea and
there will not be so much water flow. The valliyar estuary divides
Kadiapatnam and Muttam. Chippi fish is very famous in Muttam and
small size fishes are caught abundantly. The population of Muttam is
around 18,000 people. Next, we went to Rajakamangalam. During the
travel we crossed a salt pan. Steffy compered the meeting. She
welcomed Fr.Clatan and Mr.Albin, the Village Committee President.
Velaian sir narrated the entire selection process of Young Scientists
step by step. He said that five students will be called and out of nearly
150 students, 50 students will be selected and there will be nearly 30
programs and at last we will publish a book. He concluded by saying the
purpose of the coastal camp. Fr.Clatan talked about our environment.
He said that the environment is now in a critical stage and should be
protected because environment is essential to everybody. He
appreciated and thanked everybody for creating awareness. He
concluded by wishing everybody for great success. At last. Ethazl and
Rujan gave the feedback. Next, we reached Choththavizhai beach by
12.45 pm. There we met Mr.Raghuvaran who is the owner of SIVA
Travels and his family. We could see that the temple was built in a
traditional way and in that particular place it was very cool. First
Velaian sir introduced Mangavizhai Rajendran and requested him to
give his address on “ Paddaipai potruvom”. Then we had our lunch. Then
the responsibility was given to the Blue team. First Dharshini compered
the meeting and Meera gave the welcome address. Next Mangavizhai
Rajendran sir, who speaks on the AIR from 6 to 7 pm started his talk on
the topic “Paddaipai potruvom”. He said that like humans all water
bodies have names. Since Arabian sea divides India and Arabia it is
called as Arabian sea. Since Indian ocean is the south of India it is
called as Indian ocean. Bay of Bengal derives its name because Bengal
was a place which was separated from Pakistan during Indira Gandhi’s
period. Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthem for both India
and Bangladesh. The longest beach in the world is the Rieu de
Janeiro(Brazil) and the second longest beach is Marina(Chennai). Due to
the continuous flow of water the sand in the sea shore is white in
colour. The white soil is less in weight when compared with the black
soil. So black soil remains in the sea itself. Earlier there were sand
dues(natural fence) to the height of 30 to 40 feet. Sand dues also
provide protection. When sand is in high pressure they form sand stone
and stand stone then changes to stone. During 2004 tsunami the height
of the wave was 25 feet. If the sand dues were there the effect of
tsunami would not have been so much. Plants in the seashore hold the
sand from blowing away. Plants also play a vital role in reducing sea
erosion. Plants like thazhai, panai, punnai have supportive roots upto 3
to 4 feet in depth. How much we try, we can’t pull it. The tsunami with a
speed of 800km also couldn’t uproot the thazhai tree. In the sea shore
sand too many organisms like earthworm and balanoglasis which has 2
tail and a front horn lives. Earlier we can’t stamp on the sand because
there will be fully tortoise, which is the cleaning scavenger of sea. The
cleaning cavenger of air is said to be crow. Tortoises use the sand for
reproduction. Edwin Sam sir used to carry a stick with him because he
can say the water flow in any place. Sand stores water so we should not
grab the sand. At last, Krishnaveni gave the feedback. Next, Aishwarya
(Raghuvaran’s only daughter) who is studying final year BE said that
nothing is impossible in this world so we should do everything whole
heartedly and practically. It was about 2.45 PM when we reached
Manakudi where we were guided by Rajendran sir. We saw many
migratory birds like flamingo, painted stroke, pelican and pink tailed
duck. The largest mangrove forest in India is the Sunderbans which
covers an area of 2,50,000 hectares and 26 varieties of mangrove trees
are available there. Only in Sunderbans, the Bengal Tiger is found.
Mangrove trees are of two types – i)Rhysofera which have supporting
root and ii)Avisinea which have respiratory root and root cap. Siberian
birds are also found largely in Manakudi. Pazhayar is India’s last river
according to the map. In cradila shrimf the reproduction process is
done under the leaf. Mangrove forests can grow on water having salinity
upto 80% to 90%. In Picchavaram near Cuddalore 12 varieties of
mangrove is found. In pazhaver plant, the fruit(like drumstick)
develops and grows as shoot which further develops down grows as root.
In mangrove trees if we cut in cross section it can’t be . But if we split
it, it would be easier. This is because inside the stem the fibres are like
sponges. We also met scientist Thangaputhiyavan. At 4.10 pm, we
reached Vattakottai. The atmosphere was very peaceful and windy.
From there we could also see the Kudankulam power station. Then we
had a feedback session. Then Velaian sir said about the team meet and
the trip to Karur. He insisted that we must send the report within one
week. At last, Meera said the vote of thanks and the coastal study tour
came to an end.
The two day coastal study tour is an excellent
opportunity for us as we hand first hand knowledge and field
experience about our Kanyakumari District coast. The fishermen folk
once considered to be primitive are now somehow improved but still
lack in education, housing, drinking water, sanitation and waste disposal.
We are so far familiar with towns and villages but this is the first time
we had come across live situation in the coast. Yes, indeed the team
KAP under the guidance of Mr. Velaian and institutes like Sigma College
of Architecture, Moododu is thanked for its sacrifice and help to
mould us. Again, Dr. James Wilson and Dr. Gladis Wilson are true social
workers apart from their service in the field of technical education.
Let me thank all those who are associated with KAP and
others who had helped for the success of the programme.
4.V.Jeyavarshini
Red team
Day : 1 (28.12.2013)
GREEN TEAM SESSION
I reached Marthandam near Dhasaiya Mandapam at 6.05am.
SIGMA college bus came there at 6.50am. We travelled in the bus and
arrived SIGMA Architecture college, Moodode, at 7.20am.
We had our breakfast in the college canteen. Then, we went for
planting ceremony. The first plant was planted by Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar
and Lekshmi from yellow team. The second plant was planted by
Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar, Capt.Bennet Singh, C.L.Dharshini from blue and
Ackshah from green team. The third plant was planted by
Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar and Ashwin Niranjan from maroon team.
We went to the conference hall for the programme. The
programme began at 8:15am. Ackshah from green team compered the
programme. She invited Mr.Pasalian, Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar, Mr.Velaian
and Capt.Bennetsingh to the dais. Fathima Harshima from green team
welcomed the gatherings.
Mr.Velaian gave the inaugural address. He told the last year young
scientists award ceremony was conducted in SIGMA Architecture
college. He said that if the beginning of any programme is good, the
ending is also good. He told there are 44 coastal areas in our
Kanyakumari district. He advised us to co-operate with our coordinators and guide teachers. He informed that we are staying in
Mangarai Analagam hostel.
Capt.Bennet Singh stressed that we are in fast moving world and
fast changing world. He told if we find anything in modern days without
proper evidence we couldn’t escape. He said India has a coastal line of
7,575km. He told us to ask a question with coastal area people. That
was what is the problem facing by them in day to day life? He said what
we hear, what we see, what we observe, we should take notes. He told
us to interact with coastal people to make a change or protect the
coastal areas. He informed that the Chothavilai beach is like tourist
place. He instructed us to keep obedience. He wished all of us.
Mr.P.P.K.Sindhukumar started his views by “ey;y ey;y gps;isfis
ek;gp ,e;j ehNl ,Uf;FJ jk;gp”. He told without learning we couldn’t
achieve success. He said :
“fw;wth;; Kfj;jpy; ,U fz;fSilath;
fy;y hjth; Kfj;jpy; ,U Gz;fSilath;”
He asked the question “who introduced noon meal scheme”? The
answer was Kamarajar. Ashwitha from yellow got gift as Rs.500. He
asked another question. That was who founded gravitational force under
the tree by seeing an apple falling from the tree? The answer was
Issac Newton. Dhanu from red team got gift as Rs.100. He told a story
about Swami Vivekananda. One day Swami Vivekananda had a doubt
whether there is God or not ?. His Guru clarified his doubt and said
there is God. So, he became the devotee of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
He told us to have a quality of asking questions Why? What? How?
Notices prepared by students were released. Abarna from green
team said the vote of thanks. Capt.Bennet Singh honoured
Mr.P.P.K.Sindu Kumar with Ponnadai. The programme ended at 9.10am.
We travelled to Neerodi. On the way we met the part of AVM
canal. AVM stands for Ananda Victoria Marthandavarman. This canal
was used for boating in olden days.
We arrived St.Nicolas Hr.Sec.School, Neerodithurai at 10.20am.
Ackshah from green team compered the programme. She invited the
HM of St.Nicolas school, father.Rudalf, Mr.Franco, Mr.Velaian and
Er.Benzigar Rajan to the dias. The students of St.Nicolas Hr.Sec.School
joined with us in the programme.
Mr.Velaian gave inaugural address. He gave an account on the
coastal environmental study tour programme. He invited Er.Benzigar
Rajan to gave a brief speech on the coastal area people and coastal
area.
Er. Benzigar Rajan briefed us about the coastal area people and
coastal area. He said the longest coastal line country is Canada. He told
the first coastal area in kanyakumari is Neerodi. There are thirty
varieties of fish in Neerodi. There are 10 lakhs fisherman were
surviving in Tamil Nadu. In kanyakumari, there are 1,25,000 fisherman
were surviving. The longest coastal line in the world is Sunderban to
kachi. He said many varieties of sharks were found in Thoothur. The
people in Thoothur were sharp in fishing.
We had an interaction session with Mr. Franco. Anisha from
maroon team wanted to know the reason for the coastal pollution. He
answered that the coastal area people dump their garbage in to the
sea. It leads to pollution.
Steffy from red team questioned what were the major diseases
that affected the Neerodi coastal area people ? He told chicken pox,
cholera are the major diseases that affected the people. It is due to
stagnant rain water.
Varsha from maroon team questioned what is the solution for the
people if the fishing was not allowed? He said Government can able to
help them.
Lekshmi from yellow team questioned Is the education is good
for coastal area people? He said its fair.
Blessy from maroon team asked why the coconut trees were
planted near coastal areas ? He answered there is more salt nutrition.
Ashwin Niranjan from maroon team questioned why the fishes
were less in now -a- days ? He answered the fishes were less due to
over fishing.
Ashwitha from yellow team questioned how many families were
living in Neerodi village ? He answered approximately 2000 families
were surviving.
Meera from blue team questioned Is the Salary is enough for the
fisherman to maintain his family ? He answered it’s enough .
Annlin Jenefa from yellow team questioned why the people were
dumping their garbage into sea ? He answered there is no space to
dump the garbage. So, they dump garbage in to sea.
The Students from St. Nicolas School asked us questions.
Ackshay questioned what is the aim if this programme. Steffy told that
we will write the programme as a report and publish into a book. Varsha
said that this programme is to create awareness.
Shan questioned why do you create this awareness? Ashwin
Niranjan answered this is to make a change or to protect the coastal
area.
Sindhu asked is the fishes were decreasing ? Er. Benzigar Rajan
told it is due to overfishing in many coastal areas.
Jeniba questioned why the water level has risen. Er. Benzigar
explained the ice in Antarctic region melts due to air pollution. So, the
water in the sea level increased.
Ackshah from green team given feed back.
Father. Rudalf gave a small talk. Fishing is very risk and hard
work. The fisherman work 24 hours without free. The people in coastal
area spoke their life story for time pass.
Vote of thanks was given by Ackshah. The programme ended at
11.30 am. We went to Neerodi beach.
We talked to one Mr. Anthoni. He told that we got variety of
fishes like fzth> nea;kPd;> fPhpkPd;> fhiu,etc. They will go deep areas
for fishing. His one day low salary may be Rs. 25 and high salary may be
Rs. 400. The education is fair in Neerodi. Small nets were used to
caught fish. Mdp - Mb month got less fish because of monsoon.
Next, we enquired with Mr. Antony. He told ij month we got more
fish. Crab can got mainly in here. We travelled to vallavilai.
We reached Vallavilai at 11.15 am. We met Mrs. Mariya cori and
Mrs.Yesabella to enquire with them. She told we got variety of fishes
like fpshj;jp> #uh> nfhspahis etc. She told if we get Rs. 200 as a
profit, the loss will be Rs. 2000. She said sharks were got mainly in
Cochi. She said we kept fishes in ice for storing. We saw types of
fpshj;jp fish. We also visited “How fisherman caught fish using net”.
We went to vallavilai Ice plant at 12.15 pm. Antoni Sir guided us.
We saw fishes like fzth> swords, nea;kPd; and large jhis. Mr. Glites
told that the large jhis is about 15 kilo. 1 kilo costs for 100 Rs.
Steffy, Ackshah, Varsha given feedback. Ethazhl Sherin Joseph
given vote of thanks.
MAROON TEAM SESSION
We went to patriot Sports club at 1.30 pm. Ashwin Niranjan
compered the programme. Blessy welcomed the gatherings.
Mr. Velaian gave inaugural address. He said all the year’s young
scientists got chance to visit Patriot sports club. He invited Mr. Robert
kumar to gave a talk on “worship guidance”.
Mr. Robert Kumar told us to worship guidance. In house, we should
follow the guidance of parents and elders. It help us to achieve success.
When we are in road we should follow the traffic rules. In school ,we
should obey teacher’s direction. He told a story, One boy needs 10 th
guide book. He was very intelligent. He went to the shop and asked 10 th
guide book. Shopman said that there was no 10th guide book So, he
asked two 5th std guide book. . He asked us to be intelligent. He told us
another story. There is a competition conducted by “ Njrpa mwptpay;
khehL” on 27-31 of this month, Kavin, Vijay, Meena and Nandhini were
participated as a team. Their research topic is “ Foe;ijfs; jpUkz
xopg;G”. There guide teacher is kanaharaj. They played District level and
state level successfully because they followed the guidance of their
guide teacher. He wished us to follow best direction.
Er. Benzigar Rajan talked about the Natural resources in
Kanyakumari district. The kanyakumari district is covered by 30 % of
forest in olden days. But, in modern days 19% of forest was covered in
kanyakumari district. There are varieties of rice in ancient days. Nowa-days we can’t see all the varieties. Coconut trees were decreased
form 27000 to 17000. Rubber is increasing because for cash. It’s a
biodiversity tree. He told that Banana trees, Pepper are found only in
our district. He concluded his speech by “Save the natural resources”.
Mr. Rajeshgave the vote of thanks. On behalf of KAP Praisen gave
vote of thanks. The programme ended at 3.10 pm . We had our lunch in
there.
We went to Parthasarathi temple. Poet. Thanga Arasu told about
Tamil Grammar. He said that Poet.Ponnarasu is a great poet. He told
poet ponnarasu wrote Tendral Tamil Grammar book, Kungumam, Pasarai,
Bharathi, Paintamil Kumari . He Published monthly magazine named Nila
muttam. He said Parthiban means king. The kingdom for us was chera
kingdom. The symbol of the cheras is bow and Arrow. So the Cheras
were known as Villavan. He told about Karunathadahan who belongs to
Ma; guk;giu. His father’s name is kochadaiyan. It means king of
chadaiyan. He became the king of Venadu. The north boundary of
Venadu is varkalai. and the south boundary of Venadu is Thukalay.
Boundary was not constant It will chage. He became king in. AD 857.
He built parthasarathi temple in AD. 860. Parthiba sekra puram is
shortly named as parthibapuram. The capital of Venadu is vilinam. The
capital is not constant It will Change. Parathasarathi temple is built for
their Family Deity Krishna. Parathaha Chola was a great king. He came
with huge sepoys to defeat karunathadahan. He was afraid by seeing
Paranthaga cholan’s sepoys. So he escaped to Thiruvanandhapuram.
Their he stayed in Kalakootam palace. He look after three temples while
he is in kalakkotam palace. The three temples were Thiruvattar
Adhikesava Perumal temple, Thiruvananda puram pathmanatha
Swamitemple and Parthasarathy temple. During the period of cheras,
two women were important. They were pandimadevi and kannagi. Chera
Chengutuvan, the great king like to built the temple for kannagi. He
built the temple successfully by facing many difficulties. In
Parthibapuram there was Nalada University Educational Institution was
in chera Period.
We went to pray god. Mr. Jeya kumar told that the Parthasarathy
temple had no offering box. The Deities in the Parthasarathy temple
were
varahamoorthy,
Vadakkam
Perumah.
Ambadikrishnan,
Karahandeshwarar, Mahadevar, Dhat shinamoorthy, Ayyappar, Nagar
Kudumbam,. We had a cup of tea.
We went to Beach at 4.45 pm. Er. Benziger Rajan told
Thengapattinam is covered with many coconut trees. Mailaru and
chittaru are together generate to the Thengapattinam. Before 600 yrs
Muslims used this way for business. This Village is famous place. This
area is known as exporting areas. In the Thengapattinam beach. We
saw puffer fish,. Then we travalled to Enayam Puthanthurai.
YELLOW TEAM SESSION
We arrived Enayam Puthanthurai at 5.45 pm. Er. Benzigar Rajan
told in this beach fishes were more in number. Rocks were found here.
This beach seems untidy and dirty. This sea is polluted because the
soild waste has to be put away 100 m. But this people putting the waste
in the sea Shore itself.
We went to Mr. John Brito’s house at 6.10 pm Anisha and
Fathima Harshima gave feed back.
Mr. Velaian spoke about the AVM canal. The AVM canal is polluted
due to human habitations. He gave the topic for the drama for cultural
programme.
We clarified our doubts with Mr. John Brito Lakshmi from yellow
team asked, Why Enayam puthanthurai sea is polluted mostly? He
answered the people in Enayam puthanthurai have no place to dump
their garbage. So, they were dumping the garbage into sea.
Anisha from maroon team questioned, “It Enayam Puthanthurai
Sea gor more fish or not”? He answered fish will get more but now it
is less.
Bharshini from blue team asked, Which fish will got more in
Enayam Puthanthuri Sea ? He answered.
nej;Njhyp Kjy; Rwh fish will get.
Aswitha from yellow team questioned. How many people were
surviving in Enayam Puthanthurai ? He answered. Approximately 5700
people.
Blessy from maroon team questioned, Which net is used to caught
fish ? He answered nets are not used mainly in here.
Lakshmi from yellow team questioned, Name the types of fish
foundin Enayam Puthanthurai. He Said R+u> Ntsh> nfhSt> thit>
rhtis> ghu> GspkPd;> nej;Njhyp> Ngs> ,k;gsk;> fpshj;jp> %l;b> Nkuy;>
$dp> rk;G> fz;zhb kPd;> FW kPd;> etiu> kzq;F> fsNt> Fjur;rp>
nek;kPd;> nrk;kPd;> fzth, maiy> ez;L> rpg;gp will get.
Selvi. Steffy given feed back and vote of thanks. Tea and snacks
were given.
We went to Analagam hostel at 7.30pm. We had Dinner in there.
Team wise discussion was conducted for preparing drama.
The programme began at 8.30 pm. Mr. Velaian gave welcome
address. He introducted Father. John Robinson. Akshah given feed back
of the whole programme.
Red team done drama on “ Happy Home”.
Father. John Rabinson talked about the speciality of Thaneer
pandhalvilai. This place is like a forest in olden days. Before Some years
the area is historic and beautiful. But now the nature was disappeared.
There is a temple named Ambalam. He Stressed that Science is the
true religion. The real meaning of religion is pathway. He Wished Us.
Maroon team done a drama on “relations”. Yellow team done a
drama on “elders”. Blueteam done a drama on “Quarrel Home”. Green
team haddone a drama on “School”.
Lakshmi from yellow team, Aksha from green team, Varsha from
maroon team, Steffy from red team and Meera from blue team given
feed back.
Mr. Samraj told that, Mr. Velaian is creating young scientists to
make the future perfect. He appreciated poet. Thangarasu for his very
good explanation. . He wished all of us.
Mr. Velain said that Rhujan from yellow team and krishnaveni from
blue team acted best. He gave a short Account on next day’s ( 29-122013) Programme. The programme ended at 9.50 pm. We slept in the
hostel.
Day : 2 ( 29-12-2013)
RED TEAM SESSION
The students in out hall woke before 4.30am. We refreshed
ourselves and got ready for yoga. Mr. Satheesh taught us yoga. After
the yoga, took cup of tea.
Steffy from red team give vote of thanks. Mr. Balakrishnan told
us to observe the landscape. We travelled to Kurumbanai.
We arrived punitha Michael Hr. Sec. School, Kurumbanai at 7.40
am. steffy from red team compered the programme.
Mr. Velaian gave inaugural address. He welcomed the gatherings.
He wished all of us.
Mrs. Mary Nimelda told that we are like Science family. She
praised our effort.
Father. Michael Raj gave some information on kurumbai coastal
area. This area is in high and sea level is low. So, Tsunami Couldn’t enter
into the Kodimunai sea. But Kottilpadu, Colachal, Puthoor etc areas were
attacked by Tsunami. The major disease affected by the kurumbanai
people was cancer. This area is suitable to built harbour. There are
1200 families were surviving in the area. The population is about 6000,
in Kurumbanai area.
We clarified our doubts. Blessy from maroon team questioned
what were the fishes get more in Kurumbanai? He answered , ,uhy;> fzth
are the fishes get more.
Shajin from yellow team asked Is the temples were damaged due
to Tsunami? He answered temples are not mostly damaged.
Ackshah asked “ Is the climate is different in higher positions
of kurumbanai”? He answered that there is no climate difference.
Ashwin Niranjan from maroon team questioned Is the ship from
foreign countries came for fishing ? We answered no , they couldn’t
come.
Keerthiga from maroon team asked which type of fishes are
mainly used for exporting ? He answered fzth and ,uhy;.
Varsha from maroon team questioned what is the basic problems
faced by fisherman when fishing? He answered the basic problem was
the fisherman can arrested while fishing.
Abarna from green team questioned what is the speciality of
kodimunai beach. He answered the rocks in the kodimunai beach is
speciality.
Dharshini from blue team asked which fish is speciality in
kodimunai beach. He told no fish is speciality.
Steffy from red group given feed back. We had our breakfast
there. Varsha from maroon team given vote of thanks. The programme
ended at 8.40 am.
We went to kurumbanai beach. Er. Benzigar Rajan explained about
kurumbanai beach. This place is known for rocks. Many varieties of fish
were found. Fishing is more because pambar river joint with kurumbanai
beach. Here, fishes are small in size. The name of the esthury is pambar
esthury. The land space is covered with rocks. The foot prints seen in
the rocks were walked by Jesus.
We went to colachel beach, at 9.45 am. Er. Benzigal Rajan briefed
us about colachel beach. Colachel has natural harbor. Dutch defeated
Marthandavarma in colachel in AD 156. His tomb is also in colachel. Here
is a fishing esthury. The Tsunami memory symbol is in here. Small
varieties of fishes were found. There is a light house.
We visited Er.Suresh, the municipality commissnor of colachel. He
started his views by “ePhpd;wp mikahJ cyF”. Sewage waters and
garbage discharged into sea leads pollution. ehzy; is used to change
the sewage water into good water. fy;thio plant absorbs carbon -dioxide and releases oxygen by roots. T-5 lamps were used to conserve
energy. He said ehzy;> fy;thio> T-5 lamps were used in Colachel.
Steffy from red team given feed back. We travelled to
Kadiapatnam.
We arrived Kadiapatnam at 10.25 am. The landscape is sandy. The
sand property has heavy material. Black colour in the soil represents
illuminate siluminite. Titanium oxide in the soil is used to make rockets.
Titanium oxide’s melting point is 30000 C. The golden colour in the soil is
circon. The reddish brown colour in the soil is monoxide. Rawmaterial
thorium in the soil is used to make atom bombs and nuclear react. The
name of the esthury is valliyar esthury.
We went to the muttam beach at 11.00 am Er. Benzigar Rajan
detailed us about Muttam beach. He told the rocks were found in the
land as well as in the beach. Many small fishes were found in the beach.
It is the esthury of valliaru rpg;gp> ez;L> ,uhy; got more in here. It is
a tourist spot.
We went to Rajakkamangalam at 11.30 am. Stefty from red team
compered the programme.
Mr. Velaian gave inaugural address. He told about the selection
process of young scientists programme. He said that the coastal study
tour is to create awareness among the people.
Father.Glatten told that we should save our nature. Now – a – days
the coastel areas are polluting. He appreciated us for creating
awarness. He blessed and wished us.
Steffy given vote of thanks Rhujan and Steffy given feedback.
We went to Chothavilai Dharma pathi temple at 12.45pm Steffy
compered the programme. She welcomed the great personalities.
Mr.Velaian invited and introduced the great personalities. He told
after eating Mangavilai T.Rajendran will speak on “Worship Creation”
We had our lunch in there.
BLUE TEAM SESSION
C.L.Dharshini from blue team compered the programme Meera
welcomed the gatherings.
Mangavilai T.Rajendran spoke on “Worship Creation” He said all
humans and nature are creation.He said the first largest Beach is Deodi
Genera in Brazil. The second largest beach is Marina in China. The
minerals in the sand was by taken by sea water waves . So the sand near
the beach has no minerals. In 2007, the height of Tsunami is 25.
Grasses, Shurbs, Ks;S nrb were grown in sandy soil. Sandcast can
prevent us from Tsunami. The animals live in sand are Hippo, Crab,
Balano glauses, Chippi and Tortoise. He told Mngroves clean water and
prevent from Tsunami.
Krishnaveni give the feedback. Varsha, Ethazhl Sherin Joseph,
Ackshah and Lekshmi given vote of thanks.
Selvi.Ayshwarya told doing practicle is very interesting.
Everything was possible by hardwork. She congraged all of us.
We went to Manakkudi at 2.30pm. Mangavilai T.Rajendran showed
us Pambutharai , Painted Stroke, Pink hailed duck and pelican. We
visited mangroves which was planted in 1991. He told that three are two
types of mangroves. They were calyphytes and Avicinea. Calyphytes has
supporting roots. Avicinea has respiratory root. Mangroves were mostly
in sunderbans. Sunderbans has 26 varieties of mangroves. Mangroves
prevent us from Tsunami. We couln’t able to cut the branches of tree in
cross section . We can able to split the branches of Chambu has the
capacity to clean dirty water tree.
Ackshah
given
feedback.
Mr.Velaian
introduced
Mr.Gangaipudhiyavan working in ISRO.
We went to Vattakottai at 4.45pm. We saw Koodankulam Anumin
Nilayam. The waves in the Vattakotai sea were very slow.Ashwin
Niranjan, Griffin, Abiram, Mani, Dhanu, Pratheesh, Dawnlal, Rhujan,
Adhithya, Federin Beby, Praisen, Brintha, Jino, Varsha, Steffy,
Ackshah, Sheka, Anisha, Ethzhl Sherin Joseph and Jeshwini given
feedback. Meera given vote of thanks. Cup of tea and snacks were given.
Mr.Velaian said that our next meeting will be conducted on 5 th
January at LMS Boys Hr.Sec.School, Marthandam.
The programme ended at 5.20pm.
Conclusion :
I was able to learn about coastal area people. This programme
created awareness among the coastal environment people. The people of
coastal areas are facing lot of problems. We were able to know th Now,
I understand that the fishing is hard and risky work. I am grateful to
KAP for giving this opportunity.
Thank You.
5. DAWNLYN LAL,
BLUE TEAM.
With the blessings of the God Almighty, the Coastal Study Tour
for all the Young Scientists who were selected was held on the 28th &
29th December from Nerodi to Vattakottai. The aim of the study tour
was to visit all the coastal areas in Kanyakumari District.
The SIGMA College bus picked us from the Marthandam Thasaiya
Mandapam at 6.50 am. We reached the SIGMA College of Architecture,
Moodudu at around 7.30 am. We had our breakfast and at around 8.00
am there was a tree planting ceremony. Mr. P.K Sindhu Kumar planted
Sapodilla plants on behalf of the Red, Yellow and Maroon team
members. Then, Captain. Benet Singh planted mango sapling on behalf of
the Blue and Green team members.
We assembled in the auditorium at 8.15 am and the program began
with the Invocation to Goddess Tamil. Aksha of the Green team was the
compere. Fathima Hashima welcomed everyone. Then Mr. Velaian, the
organizer of KAP gave a brief account of the Coastal study tour. He also
appreciated the efforts of the SIGMA College chairman and staff for
providing us all the facilities. He said that the dignitaries present in the
stage always have a smile and that they also had to show an interest in
doing good to children. Moreover, he told that we were not going for a
picnic; rather we were going to do research with regard to the coastal
environment. He continued by saying that that program was a rare
opportunity provided to do research.
Capt. Bennett Singh, “a captain who sails the ship of KAP” came
after that. He said “If you find something new, you should have the
right evidence. Otherwise there would be no way to escape from those
who asked lots of questions”. He said that the coastal environment had
to be protected because it possesses many natural resources. He also
said that we have to interact with the people living along the coast and
ask lots of questions and that also we could find the benefits and
disadvantages they got from the sea. He said that 75% of the people
living along the coast are educated and he continued that those 2 days
would bring a great change to our lives. We are expected to present to
the public whatever we had observed, thought about and discovered. He
added that the purpose of the tour was to observe, interact and act. He
finally concluded by saying, “Today’s world is a fast moving and fast
changing world” and advised to observe everything. His speech was a
great inspiration to me.
Mr. P.K Sindhu Kumar spoke a few words. First of all, he
congratulated Mr. Velaian because of his great contribution to society
and children. He said that we should understand what is of great
importance to this world of ours.
He also sang a song “ey;y ey;y gps;isfis ek;gp ”. This
demonstrated his interest regarding the development of students. He
asked us some general questions. Many students gave the right answers
but only Aswitha, Dhanu and Steffy got gifts because they presented
the answers quickly and also they were very active. The Young Scientist
Program is a rare gift provided by KAP. He wished that all of us should
become great scientists in the future. He concluded by saying “
kdpjid kdpjdhf;FtJ fy;tpNa ”. His speech was a great inspiration.
Capt. Bennett Singh honored Mr. P.K. Sindhu Kumar with a shawl.
It was followed by releasing pamphlets prepared by all the team
members. Mr. P.K. Sindhu Kumar released the pamphlets on behalf of
the organizer and the team coordinators. Abarna of the Green Team
gave the Vote of Thanks. The program was over by 9.15 am and we
departed from the college at 9.20 am.
On the way, we saw the AVM Canal (Aanantha Victoria
Marthandavarma Canal) which is one of the biggest canals in Kerala
Then, we reached Neerodi at 10.20 am. We went to the St.
Nicholas High School which is located in the St. Nicholas church
campus. The program began at 10.30 am. Abarna was the compere and
she also welcomed all the dignitaries. Mr. Velaian also spoke few words
about the Young Scientist Program and Coastal study tour. He also
introduced us to the students of that school.
Mr. Benzigar Rajan talked about the coastal environment of India.
The first beach of KanyaKumari district is in Neerodi. He said that
Kanyakumari had a large coastline and fishing was a major occupation. In
Kanyakumari, Neerodi has lot of sharks.
Then Mr. Franko told about the coastal area that he came from.
He informed that there were around 30 varieties of sharks in Neerodi.
He also talked about the pollution occurring in the coastal area that he
came from. Steffy asked:
What diseases had affected the people along the coast there and
has
the
government
taken
any
steps
to
rectify
it?
He answered that rain water stagnation had caused many
diseases like chickenpox and cholera for people along the coast. He also
said that if a particular person got affected, then it would also spread
to the others. He also felt very sad because the government had not
yet taken any steps to eradicate those diseases in their area.
He said that people along the coast also had many opportunities
to study and they could also get many jobs. Some students from that
school asked us some questions and we answered them.
Mr. Benzigar Rajan said that the wealth of the sea does not
reduce. He also said that many species of fish would become extinct
within 15 years if we keep on destroying the seas. Aksha provided
feedback regarding our program at that school.
Fr. Rudolf talked about the fishermen who were in the seas. For
the first time we heard some real issues the fishermen are facing and
reason behind their attitude peculiar behavior. The fishermen would
stay in the seas for 2-3 weeks. He continued that the fishermen have
to withstand rain, sun and the cold wind. Fishing is a very risky
profession. In some areas, the fish wealth had decreased. His speech
gave us an understanding about the lifestyle of fishermen.
Mr. John Rabi kumar gave the Vote of Thanks. Then, we went to
the seashore of Neerodi. We interacted with Mr. Antony, a fisherman.
He talked about a fishermen’s lifestyle and income. He said that
sometimes they may get just 25 rupees. He also mentioned about some
varieties of fishes that were available at Nerodi, like Kanava , shark ,
Nei etc. We left Neerodithurai at around 11.45 am.
After that we went to visit the coastal area of Vallavilai. There we
interacted with Mr. Antony Raj, a fisherman from Vallavilai. He said,
“Sharks are available in plenty. Some of the boats were mechanized”.
We saw some Klatch fishes. We also saw some people packing these
fish. Then we saw some fishermen pulling their fishing nets using
Karamadi. They struggled to pull these nets ashore. We saw some
beautiful flowering plants at a distance.
Then we went to visit the Ice Plant. We saw some ice boxes in
which the fish were kept. We also saw some big sharks kept in the ice.
Many students gave a feedback of that day’s program that took place
from morning till noon. We left Vallavilai at 1.00 pm. On the way we saw
Kollancode Thukkam.
We were given a warm welcome by the members of Patriotic
Sports Club Nitravilai. The program began at 1.30 pm. Ashwin of Maroon
team was the compere. Blessy gave the welcome address. Mr.
Mullanchery M. Velaian, the organizer of KAP said that the club
members have done a great job because they had provided all the
arrangements for the Young Scientists. He also said that that program
had brought great joy and happiness.
Then Mr. Robert Kumar gave a speech on “ topfhl;Ljiyg;
Nghw;WNthk;”. He said, “We should accept parent’s instructions at home.
If we accept it and follow it then we would achieve great success in our
life”. We should also accept only the good instructions. He provided the
reason why we should listen to the instructions. On the roads, we should
listen to a traffic policeman’s instructions. If we did not listen to him,
then we would meet with an accident. He also talked about light houses
which guided the fishermen.
He narrated an incident that happened because of the wrong direction
provided:-
A direction board along on the roadside fell down due to wind.
Some men took the board and placed it upright. As they were in a hurry
they placed the board facing the wrong direction. So many people went
to the wrong direction and some reached Kerala instead of Kanyakumari
and some reached Kanyakumari instead of Kerala. So, he said that we
should always check the instructions that we received.
He advised that the 50 young scientists who were selected this
year should guide next year’s students. KAP had achieved great success
because it did a lot of planning. There are both good and bad directions
but we should follow only the best directions. He concluded by saying,
“If we follow the right guidance, then we will achieve great success in
our lives”.
Then Mr. Benzigar Rajan spoke a few words regarding the natural
environment. He said “There is no place like Kanyakumari district that is
so wealthy with respect to the variety of environments in a small area.
Kanyakumari has an area of 18889 sq.km. In the olden days 30% of the
area was of forests but nowadays there are only 18% of the area is
covered by forests. K.K. District is the only place that receives both
northern and Southern monsoon”. He also talked about stone quarrying
in Kanyakumari district which was the major cause for the loss of
habitat. He told, “There is no need of quarrying stones in mountains.
Instead we can quarry underground and get rocks. Tirunelveli is a place
plenty of rocks can be obtained underground”. He continued, “Previously,
there were 4400 ponds but now reduced to 1750 ponds. Paddy was
grown on a large scale but it is also reduced because of no rain”. The
important cause for all these problems was the human beings. He finally
concluded by telling us not to destroy plants, forests, lakes and rivers.
His speech was a great inspiration and made me realize how we were
destroying the nature.
Then Mr. Rajesh, Secretary of Patriotic Sports Club said the Vote
of Thanks. Following that Praison Lino of the Maroon team thanked all
the members of PSC on behalf of the Kumari Ariviyal Peravai. We had
our lunch at around 2.30 pm. We left Nitravilai at 3.10 pm.
We reached Parthibapuram at 3.25 pm. There Poet. Thanga Arasu
gave a talk about local history. He talked about the history of the
Parthibapuram temple. He said “Parthiban means the king. The eldest of
the three kings were the Cheras. Their symbol was Bow and arrow. So,
they were called Villavan. Their capital was named Villavancode and later
it was named Vilavancode. First the Cheras ruled this area. They were
defeated and later some weak kings ruled this area”. Then he talked
about the rule of Karuna Thadangan . He said “Karuna Thandangan
became the ruler in A.D. 857. He built this temple in A.D. 860. His
capital was Venadu. But the capitals were not in one place and kept on
changing. This place was called Uzhakudivizhai. Later it was called
Parthibasekarapuram which is called Parthibapuram in short now. The
name of this temple is Parthasarathi Temple. It was named
Parthasarathi because Krishna was their Family Deity”. Then he talked
about the war by Parathaga Cholan. He said “Parathaga Cholan fought
here. He was a clever ruler. Karuna Thadangan was afraid of him and
went to Kalakuttam which was located near Tiruvananthapuram. He
stayed there in a small palace and organized 3 temples. They were:
1. The Thiruvattar Aathi Kesava Perumal Temple.
2. The Trivandrum Padmanabaswamy Temple and
3. The Parthibasarathi Temple”.
He then talked about the Chera king Cheran Chenguttuvan. He said
“Once Cheran Chenguttuvan went to a mountain. At that time some
hunters came there and paid homage to him. They talked about a woman
that they had seen in the hill side. They told that she looked like Durga
and after some time her husband came her and took her away. Cheran
Chenguttuvan recognized her as Kannagi and he decided to build a
temple for her. Later there was a war between the Cheran
Chenguttuvan and the North Indians. In that war the North Indians
were defeated and the mighty Cheras won the battle”. He finally
concluded by saying “We are the descendants of the Cheras that we
should be bold and brave enough to face everything”. His speech was
very informative.
Varsha of the Maroon Team provided a report of what had
happened at the Parthasarathi Temple. Then we had our tea at 4.15 pm
and we left the temple at around 4.30 pm.
We arrived in Thengapattnam at 4.45 am. We saw some concrete
blocks and a weigh bridge. We also saw some wave breakers too. We saw
an estuary. Mr. Benzigar Rajan said “An estuary is a place where the
river meets with the sea. It is the place where the fish breed. It is the
largest estuary in KanyaKumari District. That estuary is located in the
Arabian sea”. He provided a lot of information about Thengapattnam.
Then we walked through the beach for some time, We left there at
around 5.25 pm.
We reached Enayumputhanthurai at 5.40 pm. That is the
continuation of the estuary which is located in Thengapattnam. We also
saw some Killathu fishes. There was a lot of rubbish in the beach. The
surrounding was badly polluted. The place was quite dusty and untidy.
Solid wastes had to be dumped 100 meters away from the sea, but in
Enayumputhanthurai they have dumped the entire solid as well as liquid
wastes near the sea. We interacted with the local people of that place.
We told them to keep their surroundings clean. They said, “We have no
place to dump our garbages. The Municipality kept waste disposal bins.
We used to dump our waste there. But they did not remove the waste.
So we have no other choice and we have to dump it along the coastal”.
Then we left from that place and went to Mr. John Britto’s house.
There we read the report of what we had seen at the Thengapattnam
Beach. We had our tea at 6.20 pm. Mr. John Britto said “There are no
proper place to dispose the waste and as a result we are disposing them
in the coastal areas”. He continued “The environment has totally
changed from the past and we cannot predict the right season we get a
lot of fishes”. There were around 5200 people living in that area.
Netheli and shark fishes were available in there. They use fishing nets
made of nylon to catch Eral. Some of the common varieties of fish
available over there are Parai, Surai. Eral, Vatha, Puli fish, Impalam,
Kilathi, Puthapu, Mural etc.
Lekshmi asked “Why is this place so badly polluted?”
He answered “They kept the waste bins and they did not
take suitable steps to remove those wastes. The government also
doesn’t take care about our coastal area”. He said that the Steel cage is
used to feed the Kal Eral fish. His speech was very informative. Steffy
said the feedback and thanked him. We left Enayumputhanthurai at
around 6.55 pm.
Then we reached the Paloor “Analagam” at 7.30 pm. We had our
dinner and we interacted with our team members. We discussed about
our next programs and we also prepared for a skit. Then we assembled
in a hall at 8.30 pm. Aksha, Steffy, Varsha, Fathima and Anisha
provided the report of the whole day program. Then Red Team members
performed a skit on “Happy Home”. It was well performed. Steffy and
Etazh’s acting was extra ordinary.
Then Rev.Fr. Jose Robinson gave an inspirational talk. He was very
happy that we had embraced science. Then he gave a brief history of
that place. He said “This place is called Thaneerpanthal because some
years back this place was a forest. Two big rivers made this place very
fertile. Many people were affected by the flood. There were many
sculptures depicting the Pandian Symbol”. He continued “The stream
located here never got dry”. He said “Science is a true religion. Many of
them have done research only for their sake and their family’s sake. But
you are doing research to create awareness in the society”. He said that
we should have a clarity regarding which path we were taking. He told
us that we should be very creative. He concluded by saying “We are
marching for values and not marks. We should not separate science
from values”. He also appreciated the Red Team members for their
beautiful skit. Aksha and Anisha provided a report of what Fr. Jose
Robinson had said. Then the Maroon Team members performed a skit on
“Relations”. They acted out the relationships at home, school and in
society. Then the Yellow Team members performed a skit on
“Grandparents”. Rujan’s acting was excellent. Then we, the Blue team
members performed a skit on “Quarrel Home”. Finally the Green Team
members did a skit on “School”. They also performed well.
Fr. Jose Robinson gave his views on the skits we had performed.
He said, “The capacity to evaluate is very important”. Then Mr. Samraj
said, “We should have the capacity to do good to the society. Kamarajar
lived for others. But in today’s world we can’t see any people living for
others. We should give back to society what we have received. When we
give we will receive”. These were his golden words. Then Mr.Velaian
thanked all the Coordinators, Guide teachers and the students for
attending that day’s program. He also thanked the people who took care
of us. Then we had a prayer service at 10.00 pm. After prayer we slept
in Dr.Gladson sir’s house.
Early in the morning we woke up at 5.00 am and refreshed
ourselves. Then we went back to Analagam. There, Steffy of the Red
Team provided feedback of the previous day’s program. Then we left
Analagam at around 7.15 am and reached Kodimunai at 7.35 am. We went
to the St. Michael School.
The program began at 7.45 am. V. Steffy was the compere.
Mr.Velaian gave the introductory address. Then Mrs. Mary Nimaldan
,the headmistress of that school said, “Mr. Velaiyan had guided you and
has taken a lot of effort to make you a scientist”. She insisted us to
make use of the opportunities provided by KAP. Then Mr. Michael Raj
talked about Kodimunai. He said that the sea level has decreased by
3feet. So the 2004 Tsunami had not affected this place. He continued,
“Cancer has affected more than 50 people in this area due to radiation
in the soil. Some people said that it was caused by the change in
environment. Ten years back, cancer was less in this area”. He
continued, “In June-July the Kanava fish is available in plenty and so
fishing is done on a large scale during that period. The government did
not take any steps to solve the problems of fishermen. They did not
care about them. They did not treat them as any normal person”. He
added, “Foreign Fishermen had not yet come here because there is an
international border in the sea. So, they were not allowed to come
here”.
Jayavarshini asked,What type of fishes do they export from
Kodimunai?.He answered “They export Kanava and prawn from here.
Usually they get only few varieties of fish”. He said, “Nowadays, many
fishermen are attacked by SriLankans. There is no communication
system between the fishermen and the people along the coast while
catching fish. In the olden days, they used to preen their feet into the
soil. If the feet sank inside then it was a good condition for fishing. If
it did not sink then it was not suitable for fishing. The Government did
not allot any fund for the families of the fishermen who died while
fishing”. As a result of his speech, we got a lot of information about
Kodimunai and the lifestyle of fishermen living there. Shalu, Rugen and
Steffy provided the report of what was talked about. We had our
breakfast at 8.30 am. Then Mr.Velaian told that through that meeting
we had obtained a good relationship with that school. Varsha thanked all
the teachers of that school. Then we went to visit the Kodimunai beach.
The coast was full of rocks. We walked above the rocks. Mr. Benzigar
Rajan said, “Fish are different in this place than from other places.
Here, we can get Chalai, Parai and Puduppu fishes”. The Pamboor River
flowed there. That’s why the potential for more fish was higher there.
He said, “The fish here are smaller in size. Here, we can get many
varieties of Chalai”. He continued that this village had been not
affected by the Tsunami of 2004 because of high rocky plains there.
We left Kodimunai at around 9.25 am.
Then we reached Colachel at 9.35 am. Mr. Benzigar Rajan said,
“This place was affected by the Tsunami and many thousands of people
died. Their memorial was also located here. This place has the oldest
light house. This area has many small varieties of fish”. Then the
Colachel Municipal Commissioner Er.Suresh spoke a few words. He said
that he had planted Kazhvalai plant in the sewage and it helped in the
purification of sewage water. He said, “We should avoid dumping
garbage into the sea. Waste pollute the water and make it unfit for fish
and other organisms to live there”. He continued, “If we plant Kazhvalai
plant in the AVM Canal we can purify it and make it fit for bathing”. He
concluded by saying, “Conserve energy and use CFL bulbs and LED’s at
homes and avoid wastage of electricity”. His speech was very useful for
us.We left Colachel at around 10.00 am. On the way we saw the Tsunami
Memorial House. We also saw the Valli River which flows from the Veli
Mountain.
Then we reached Kadiyapattnam at 10.25 am. We saw an estuary
where the Valli River meets with the sea. The river originates from the
Veli Mountain. The Mambazhathar dam is built on that river. That river
has no delta. It is to the north of Manavalakurichi. Mr. Benzigar Rajan
said “Kadiyapattnam has the rarest form of soils. They have heavy
minerals. It has illuminate and siluminate”. He also told about the other
minerals present in the soil. We left Kadiyapattnam at around 10.45 am.
We arrived Muttom at 10.50 am. The coast was covered with
rocks. We also saw an estuary and the lighthouse. We also saw some
small varieties of fish there. Mr. Benzigar Rajan said that there were
approximately 14,000 people in Kadiyapattnam and around 18000 people
in Muttom. Muttom has red soil. We left Muttam at around 11.10 am. On
the way we saw some foreign birds. They had come there because of
the seasonal changes.We reached Rajakkamangalam at 11.35 am. We
assembled in a place and the program began at 11.45 am. V. Steffy gave
the welcome address. Mr. Mullanchery M. Velaian gave the introductory
address. He told us that that place would give us joy and happiness to
us. He gave a brief description about the young scientist program. He
also said that we were doing research regarding the coastal
environment.
Then Fr. Glaton spoke a few words. He said “We should save the
declining world. We also have a responsibility to save the entire coastal
environment”. He told us to continue our deeds that we do to the
society. He concluded by appreciating all of us. We also had our tea.
Ethazh of the Red team provided the feedback of that day. Steffy
provided the Vote of Thanks. We left Rajakkamangalam at 12.05 pm.
Then we went to the Periakadu Beach. We relaxed there for 10
minutes there just for res. We left there at 12.20 pm. On the way we
saw many sand dunes.
Then we reached Chothavilai at around 12.45 pm. The program
began and Steffy was the compere. Mr. Velaian provided the
introductory address. He said “Mr. Raguvaran and his family would be
our guide and they had made all the necessary arrangements in a very
short time”. He also welcomed all the dignitaries. He also talked about
the afternoon’s programs. Then we had our lunch at 1.00 pm.
After lunch the afternoon program began at around 1.30 pm. The
chance to give the vote of thanks has gone to Meera and she too
justified her assignment. Then Mr. Mangavilai Rajendran gave a speech
on “gilg;igg; Nghw;WNthk; ”. He also explained about how the oceans got
their names. He said, “The second largest beach is the Marina beach in
Chennai. The sand is white because the waves washes away the sand. At
that time they stay there and form sand dunes. They are very
important in protecting the coastal areas. But we were using this sand
for construction activities”. He also talked about Thaalai trees. He said,
“Thaalai tree is very strong that can withstand a powerful tsunami. This
is due to their supportive roots. We have destroyed that tree also”. He
also talked about some animals that live in the sand dunes. He said, “The
Hippo, Bolzano glasses, Crab, Boral are some animals that live in the
sand dunes. The sea tortoises breed in the sand dunes. It is like a
scavenger. It cleans all the wastes present in the sea water”. Through
him I learnt a lot about the sand dunes. His speech was really
informative. The program was over and we left Chothavilai at 2.10 pm.
Then we reached Managudi at around 2.40 pm. We saw the
Pazhayar River. We also saw the Mangrove Forests. They were 15 – 20
feet high. There are two types of mangroves. One is the Ryzophoro and
the other is Avecenia. Mr. Mangavilai Rajendran said, “The Sunderbans
has 26 varieties of Mangrove forests and Pichavaram has 12 varieties
of Mangroves. Avecenia has respiratory roots. It has 80 – 90% of
salinity. In Mangrove forests many crab varieties are found and it is
also a home for many other animals. We can also see flamingoes in the
Mangrove forests. Bats build nests and live in these forests. So, foreign
birds come there to eat these animals. We cannot cut the branches
across. Rather, we can only cut them only in vertically because the
fibers of the branches are spongy. The roots are weightless. It also
gives protection for birds”. I learnt a lot about Mangrove forests from
Mr.Rajendran. Aksha provided a report of what Mr. Rajendran had
talked about. We left Managudi at around 3.25 pm. Then we had our tea
at 3.30 pm.
We reached Vattakottai at 4.10 pm. We walked inside that fort
and also we saw the beach from there. I admired the beauty of that
place. It was very calm and beautiful. Then we had our tea at 4.30 pm.
After that many students gave their views regarding the two day
coastal camp. I also shared my views. Finally, Meera gave the vote of
thanks. The program was over by 5.45 pm.
This Coastal awareness camp was a memorable event. The
speeches given by the experts were inspiring. I got a chance to mingle
with students from other schools. On the whole, it was a highly
informative and interesting camp.
I thank Almighty God for His blessings throughout that camp.
And I also thank Mr.Mullanchery M. Velaian for arranging such a
wonderful program.
I strongly believe that it was very useful to all of us.
THANK YOU.